The Courage to Live
by camillexelisabeth
Summary: Seven minor gods had seven children. No one expected the prophecy to be about them. But yet, in the face of death, they realize their true reasons for existance. Have the courage to live, anyone can die. On hiatus for a good while.
1. Chapter One: And So Changes the Course

**A/N: This takes place the summer after TLO, just so you know. And I know they are in school, but its late May (around the 21st) so they'd be getting out anyway.**

**Chapter One**

I opened my eyes to my ceiling. Another great day at school awaited me.

I rolled out of bed and dragged a brush through my blonde hair. I had it streaked with bright colors. It was my way of rebelling against my father. He was on okay person, but he was miffed about having to keep me. He would rather I stay with my mum, wherever she was.

"Stryker!" he yelled from downstairs.

"What?" I yelled back, and heard my sister groan in the room next to me.

"Get down here, you need to get to school!" my father shouted.

"Will you two shut up?" my sister yelled.

In case you were wondering, my family is very vocal.

My sister Abby was home for the week. She was in college. Lazy bum, if you ask me.

"Stryker!" I heard my dad call again.

I yanked on my school uniform, blue and green plaid skirt and a navy sweater with my school's symbol on it, a lion. I didn't even bother to look in the mirror before running down the stairs, making as much noise as possible.

Abby wasn't far behind me since she had to drive me to school. She glanced at me and rolled her eyes. Her own perfect blonde hair was complemented by her falsely orange tan.

"At least try to look cute," Abby said, rolling her eyes. She fished in her purse and handed me a tube of black eyeliner. I rolled my eyes as she tossed me a mirror. I smeared a bit of the liner on and threw it back at her. It hit her in the head and she cursed at me.

I glanced back in the mirror and looked at my eyes. They were an odd blue purple color today. They shifted colors and sometimes even turned an odd shade of pinkish purple. My eyes were my favorite feature.

Abby shoved me in her tiny car and we drove in silence to St. Peter's Catholic School. I lived in the suburbs of New York City and let me tell you, suburbia is not my thing.

Abby glared at me as I got out of the car. "Later, brat," she said.

I stuck my tongue out at her and slammed the car door as hard as I could.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and whirled around.

"Stryker, you act like I'm going to kill you," my friend said. Dakota Neve stood in front of me and she pushed her white hair out of her face. Dakota was easily the most beautiful girl in the seventh grade here. Her hair was so blonde, it was white. She had unusually pale skin and icy blue eyes.

Dakota was beautiful, but she didn't have many friends. She was cold to you unless you knew her well. When she gets mad, it feels like ice is poking at your heart.

I smiled at her and she lifted a strand of blue hair. "You really ought to not do this to your hair," Dakota said and she picked up a pink strand.

"If my dad hates it, then I love it," I said as we walked to our lockers.

One of the nuns stopped us. "Stryker, pull your skirt down," she said before running along to do saintly things.

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. I noticed that half the boys in this school were losers. I mean, sure, some of them were gorgeous, but those were the mean ones. The only truely nice boy at this place was Parker.

Parker had befriended Dakota and me back in sixth grade. He had an odd muscular disorder that caused him to walk with a limp. But he seemed pretty happy, and though most people ignored him, Dakota and I thought he was the best thing since sliced bread.

Parker limped up to us and gave us his lopsided smile. "Hey, ladies. How are we today?" he asked.

Dakota gave him her brilliant smile. "I'm doing wonderful. Stryker over here has been rebelling again. She seems to have added blue to the many colors that grace her hair."

Parker shook his head. "You know, rebellion is like a cry for help," he said as he took a bite of his apple.

I smoothed my hair with my hands. "Shut up, you're worse than my sister."

We walked to our first class together in silence. We took our usual seats in the back of the room and while Dakota sat up perfectly straight (ten years of classical ballet does things to you), I sat slumped back in my seat.

The nun swept in and glared in our general direction. "Stryker Mensi, sit up straight!" she commanded. The nuns really didn't like me. I sighed and scooted farther down in my seat.

The class passed painfully slow. About half-way through the day, it was time for mass. Just so you know, all this God stuff doesn't make sense to me. I honestly don't believe in God. My dad doesn't either, so I guess that's why.

Mass was extra boring today. The priest had a voice like nails on a chalk board. He sounded like the priest from The Princess Bride.

"God is the weason we awe heaw. Heaven is the dweam we stwive fow!" the priest said. Parker and I rolled our eyes at the same time.

Parker had a tendency to mumble to himself during mass. I thought it was hilarious. Dakota slept through most of it.

When mass was finally over we walked to lunch. Parker and Dakota were chatting but my mind was elsewhere. I was in my own little world. I tended to do that, being ADHD and all.

Suddenly Dakota snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Earth to Stryker?"

"Huh?" I said, my eyes snapping open.

"I said, do you wanna spend the night at my house tonight?" Dakota asked.

"Oh, yeah, definately. We haven't hung out in forever," I said and flashed a smile.

The rest of the day passed slowly, but I guess that's because it was a Friday.

Dakota and I piled into my sister's car. Abby smiled fakely at Dakota and rolled her eyes at me. Her brown eyes were rimmed by thick eyeliner.

"Dad says you're grades are slipping," Abby said with her thick British accent.

I had a slight accent, but I was born in America. My dad and Abby moved to America when Abby was young, so I picked my accent up from them. While living in New York City, my dad met a woman. He told me stories about her. She was beautiful and had my eyes, my strange eyes. He said she had golden hair and tan skin. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, though when he said that Abby always pouted. Abby and I didn't share a mum.

I glared at Abby. "So? It's not like school matters anyway."

Abby laughed and rolled her eyes. "You think you're just the coolest thing ever don't you? Well being a little rebel isn't cool. Why can't you just be normal?" Abby swerved down our street and parked in front of our tiny house.

"Maybe because I'm not some pageant queen!" I yelled. Abby competed in beauty pageants and won. She was really pretty, but she tanned too much and she bleached her honey blonde hair a ghastly platinum.

"You don't even need to be in pageants to be normal! Just stop being so weird! You dye your hair these dreadful colors and when you do wear makeup it's just black eyeliner! You're trying to rebel and it's stupid!" Abby and I were nose to nose now and I felt tears sting my eyes. I blinked them back and got out of the car.

I slammed the door and grabbed Dakota. She followed me to my room and I slammed the door. "Can you believe her?" I asked.

Dakota smiled at me. "She's just jealous that your hair is cooler. Now come on and get your stuff and we can head over to my place."

I managed a laugh and brushed tears back. I shoved some clothes and my toothbrush in a bag. Dakota and I walked into my backyard. I yelled to my father that I was going and he grunted in response.

We hopped the fence and landed in Dakota's backyard. Her father was in the kitchen baking a something. "Hello, Stryker! Dakota how's it hanging. I'm baking a cake for you and Stryker's birthday." Dakota's dad was possibly the coolest man alive.

Dakota and I shared a birthday, May twenty-first. That's partially how we bonded, besides the fact that both of us had absent mothers. We met in fourth grade in our "special" class. Neither of us were stupid, by any means, but we were both severely dyslexic and ADHD.

Dakota and I smiled brightly. Her dad owned a bakery in town and he was great. I did most of my eating at Dakota's house.

Our birthday was tomorrow and we were turning thirteen. Dakota and I tromped up to her room and I shivered. Dakota kept her room at a bracing fifty degrees. She tossed me a blanket and I wrapped up. Dakota pulled out a box of Gushers and smiled wickedly.

"My secret stash," she confessed. I was always hungry, and the fact that my sister required that we eat only vegan food didn't help.

The rest of the night was spent giggling and talking. We stayed up quite late and finally I fell asleep with her cat in my lap.

The next morning her dad woke us up with a yell. We rubbed the sleep out of our eyes and Mr. Neve flashed us a smile.

"Happy birthday, girls!" he shouted and I managed a tired smile.

We had birthday cake for breakfast and Parker came over. We were in Dakota's backyard, dipping our feet in her pool. We had all eaten our weight in birthday cake and Parker had eaten the plastic fork.

We were laughing and smiling and having a great time when Parker squeaked. I gave him my did-you-just-squeak-like-a-girl look but he ignored me. He staring into my backyard and was sniffing.

"Parker, you squeaked like a little girl," I said laughing.

"Guys," Parker said, "get inside. Now!"

Dakota and I started to argue but her father rushed out and said, "Inside!"

Dakota and I hurried into the house, and when I looked behind me, I saw a flash of gold from my backyard.

We stood in her kitchen looking back into her yard while her father and Parker tried to pull us away. Another flash of gold and some huge animal jumped into Dakota's backyard.

"What in the world is that?" I asked and Dakota's eyes widened.

"It looks like a lion!" she gasped.

Parker grimaced and looked like he was about to cry. "That's the Nemean Lion," he said slowly.

The lion opened its mouth and roared at Dakota and me. It slashed its paw through the glass like butter, shattering it all over Dakota and me.

**A/N: Hmmm... This was going to be a sequel to my other story, From the Foam of the Sea, but I decided I loved it more on its own. **

**So, Stryker obviously is an odd name. Care to know why I picked it? Well one day I was typing on my iPod, and I mispelled something and Stryker popped up. I decided I liked it and got this idea. So yep.**

**Care to guess who her parent is? How about Dakota's parent? Stryker's might not be too hard, but Dakota's parent is some obscure person you probably haven't heard of. But please, try to guess(:**

**Anyway, review please.**

**Please? Please? I love reviews. Hate it? Tell me why and how I can make it better. Love it? Tell me why. **

**Thanks, darlings.**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	2. Chapter Two: Discovery

**Chapter Two- Stryker**

I fell against the table and saw Dakota hit her head against a chair.

Parker dragged me away from the glass, causing the shards to cut my arms pretty bad. Mr. Neve carried Dakota to the living room.

The lion hopped into the house and roared again, setting its sights on us. Dakota screamed and I think Parker did too. I suddenly got an idea. The lion burst into the living room and I dove between it's legs. I dashed into the kitchen and opened drawer after drawer. I finally found the drawer I was looking for and pulled out a huge knife.

I ran back to the door and saw the lion about to attack. I whistled and the cat turned its attention to me. I gulped down my fear and held the knife up.

"I've seen alley cats bigger than you!" I taunted.

The lion crouched and narrowed its eyes. I threw the knife and it bounced harmlessly off the cat's fur. I yelped as it pounced. I jumped out of the way just in time, but it swiped at my stomach and I felt pain shoot through me. I grabbed another knife and waited. The lion made the mistake of roaring again and I threw the knife as hard as I could. It sailed through the air and sunk into the lion's mouth.

The cat's eyes widened and I threw another knife as it gagged. It slumped but didn't fall. It turned away from me and swiped at Parker.

"Pray to your mom!" he yelled, agiley dodging the paw.

"My mum? My mum is gone! Why would I pray to her?" I yelled back.

Mr. Neve shielded Dakota. "Pray that she gets you and Dakota to Camp Half-Blood! Pray now!" he said frantically.

I pressed my hands together like one would pray, and looked up. "Mum? Mum, if you're up there, get me to this Camp Half-Blood!" I felt stupid, but all the sudden I felt warm on the inside, like I was drinking hot chocolate. I felt a slight pull in my gut and Mr. Neve pushed Dakota to me. I caught her before she fell and suddenly there were colors all around me. Bright colors that one can only dream of surrounded me. I held tightly onto Dakota and I felt like I was moving a thousand miles an hour, even though we stood still. Suddenly I felt like I was falling.

We tumbled out of the sky and landed with a thump on soft grass. I helped Dakota up and looked around. A rainbow burned in the sky and suddenly it began to snow. I shivered and suddenly noticed a girl and a boy sitting on top of a hill. They gave us strange looks, but then again, I would too.

The girl leaned forward. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Stryker and this is Dakota," I said, shifting my weight so she wasn't leaning on me as heavily. "Where are we?"

The girl and boy looked at each other and got up. The girl had curly blonde hair and bright gray eyes. The boy had black hair and shining green eyes. "Do you know who you are?" the boy asked.

"I don't even know who you are, so if you'd care to explain, I'm all ears," I replied as angrily as I could.

The girl smiled a bit. "I'm Annabeth and this is Percy."

The boy, presumably Percy, smiled a bit too and waved. I rolled my eyes. Great, a charmer, I thought.

I finally noticed the searing pain in my arms and stomach. I looked at my arms and saw them covered in cuts and bruises from the glass. My arms looked like someone had put them through a blender, and that's being nice about it. I noticed a red stain on my white shirt and slowly lifted it. A huge gash was prominent and it was still bleeding rather bad. I got dizzy seeing my own blood and realized how hard it was to focus on anything. I put a hand to my forehead and my skin felt cold. I began to shiver more violently and Dakota had to steady me. She was in no condition to help me, but she was trying her best to keep me from falling.

Annabeth stepped forward and caught me as I stumbled again. I was seeing spots and they seemed to be eating away at the sides of my vision. I tried my best to stay consious, but I felt myself slipping as the world around me went dark.

* * *

I felt someone in the room with me and I opened my eyes. There was a boy who looked about my age and who looked considerably taller than me, just sitting down. He had dark hair swept to the side and deep blue eyes. He saw that I was awake and smiled slightly. He put the book he was reading down, but I couldn't read the cover. At first I thought my dyslexia was being a jerk again, but I realized the book wasn't even in English.

"How are we feeling?" he asked. He had a slight Southern accent.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Just peachy," I said angrily. "Where's Dakota?"

The boy patted my head. "All in due time, my dear."

I rolled my eyes and he cocked an eyebrow. "Nice eyes," he commented.

I narrowed my "nice eyes" and he laughed. He handed me a small mirror and I held it up, not taking my eyes off the boy. I slowly looked into the mirror. I threw it down and yelped.

"Bloody hell! What's wrong with my eyes?" I yelled. The mirror had reflected my face, a little battered up, but none the less, my face. Now no comments about how it's my face that scared me. What shocked me were my eyes. They were shifting colors rapidly, going from blue to green in a split second. They even turned a shade of red before changing to orange.

The boy smiled and patted my head again. "You're a human collidascope!" he said before pulling a glass off the table. "You should drink this," he said.

"I'm not drinking it until you drink some first," I said cautiously. The boy rolled his eyes and took a tiny sip. He spread his arms after handing the glass to me.

"Healthy as a pegasus!" he exclaimed and I gave him my best you're crazy look.

I took a sip, expecting juice because there were ice cubes in it. But as I continued drinking, I was filled with warmth, and the taste of cookies was suddenly in my mouth. They tasted like the sugar cookies Dakota and I loved to bake. I sipped eagerly until the liquid was gone.

I looked at the boy and he smiled. He pulled a plate off the table and handed me a golden square. When I didn't eat it, he took it from he and said, "Here comes the choochoo train!"

I snatched it from him and popped it in my mouth. "Blimey! It tastes like a brownie!" I exclaimed before I could stop myself.

He smiled again and said, "Well they've decided that I should be the one to tell you."

"Tell me what? Where's Dakota? Is she okay?" I sat up and winced. The pain in my stomach was still there and I lifted my shirt to find the gash bandaged. Blood had seeped through the cloth and dried. I realized someone had changed my shirt to an orange one and I blushed, hoping the boy wasn't the one who had.

The boy waved a hand. "She's dead and she said she hates you," he said seriously.

"What!" I exclaimed.

"Jeez, I'm just kidding. Don't you Brits have a sense of humor?" he said, rolling his eyes.

"I was born in America, you twit. Now before you delve into this whole telling me thing, can I ask you a question?" I frowned, not wanted to talk to this annoying child anymore. Okay, so he wasn't a child, but he acted like one.

"I guess. I mean, anything for you, your highness," he said, bowing from his chair. "All hail the Queen of England!"

"Shut up, I'm American!" I said, glaring.

"Your question?" he said casually.

"What's your name? Or did your parents give you away before they could name you for being such an annoying little boy?" I pursed my lips and looked at him with a smirk on my face.

The boy frowned a bit before regaining his cocky smile. "My name is Channing. And for your information, I lived with my dad for twelve years."

"I don't want to know about your personal life. I suppose you're not going to tell me your last name, are you?" I said, pouting.

Channing flashed a smile. "Not until I learn your last name. That Dakota chick wouldn't tell us anything. So I'm interested, British girl. What's your name?" he asked, poking my arm.

I crossed my arms and winced. The pain in my stomach was going away, but it still hurt. "My name is Stryker Mensi. Now are you going to tell me this big secret or not?" I asked impatiently.

Channing smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Interesting name, Stryker. I like it. My last name is Tenebre," he said, poking me again.

"Just tell me why I'm here!" Memories flooded back to me. "Parker!" I gasped.

Channing's face darkened. "He didn't make it. The little satyr became the most adorable little plant though. The man made it out. Your father has been informed that you are here, but he seemed a bit relieved to tell you the truth. Your sister is hot, by the way."

I felt a pang of misery. "Parker is gone?" Channing nodded. "Parker is gone and I could have saved him!"

"No you couldn't have. What you did back there was pretty amazing, considering you don't even know what you are yet," Channing said and he ruffled my hair.

I swatted his hand away and glared. "What am I then? Some kind of freak? Wait, don't answer that," I added quickly.

"You're what we call a demigod. Or half-blood, if you wanna sound mysterious. Now, doll face, you're obviously not Aphrodite cabin. You could be a Hermes, but the eyes beg to differ," Channing said, with his cocky smile still in place.

"What? What's a demigod and what's wrong with Aphrodite cabin?" I asked, more confused than ever.

Channing rolled his eyes. "Nothing is wrong with the Aphrodite cabin. It's what's wrong with you, sugar," he said, and patted my shoulder. "Just face it, you're not pretty enough." He winked at me and I slammed my fist into his arm. He didn't even wince. "Oh, sweetie, don't be mad at me! I was only kidding. You radiate beauty." He winked again and I closed my eyes.

"What the bloody hell is a demigod?" I asked slowly.

"Ah, to be or not to be! That is the question. Why bother with the other ones that are running through your simple mind?" Channing was having a great time annoying me, and I sighed.

"Please," I begged. "Just tell me what the heck a demigod is."

Channing softened a little bit. "A demigod is a child of a god."

"You mean to tell me that I'm Jesus?" I said, laughing.

Channing cracked a smile again. "No, you weirdo, a Greek god. You, my little friend, are half Greek god," he said and I laughed nervously.

"Yeah and you expect me to believe this?" I asked skeptically.

Channing nodded. "Took me a while to get used to it too. Now here's where it gets fun. Sometimes you can tell right off the bat. The eyes usually give it away. You see a kid with gray eyes, he's most likely Athena. Electric blue eyes, you got a Zeus. Sea green eyes, Poseidon. Then of course it gets a little more complicated. Purple eyes could be Dionysus, or they could be Hecate. Your eyes are just plain weird," he said brightly.

"That's it, I'm leaving," I said bluntly and tried to stand but Channing pushed me back down.

"You can't. Wanna know why? 'Cause the second you leave this camp, monsters will come for you. And meaner ones than you saw earlier. The Nemean lion is nothing compared to what could have happened," he said.

I glanced up at him and he smiled softly at me. "Besides, you have Dakota to worry about. She's already been told and she seemed to take it well. She never fainted, unlike someone I know," he said, nudging me softly.

"The cat thing ripped my stomach open!" I exclaimed.

Channing kept talking. "Hayden Giorno talked to her. Hayden is persuasive. She's also crazy, so don't listen to her."

I raised an eyebrow at the boy and he shrugged. He lifted me up and I winced again. "Someone holds grudges. What did you and this Hayden chick date?" I asked and Channing scowled.

"No. Let's just say we're like night and day." Channing got me standing and led me out of the room. I had to lean heavily on him, much to my dismay, and he smirked. "You sure are packing some weight. What are you, like a hundred pounds?"

I glared at him and he smirked wider. "I'm actually one hundred and two pounds, thank you very much."

"Mhm, that's so much better, darling."

We walked out of the house and out onto a porch. Two men sat at a table playing some kind of card game. One of them was in a wheelchair and the other was sipping from a Diet Coke.

The man in the wheelchair smiled a bit and said, "Hello, Stryker. Feeling better?"

I sighed. "I have a hole in my gut. I've been better."

"We've been looking forward to you waking up," the man said.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

Channing snorted. "Only forty-eight hours."

I rubbed my head. "Blimey! I don't think I've ever slept so much in my life."

The man sipping the Coke rolled his eyes. "Demigods, all the same. Lazy, lazy, lazy."

I scowled. "Who do you think you are?"

Channing's eyes widened and he shook his head frantically. "Um, Stryker―"

The man held up his hand. "I think I am in charge of this camp," he said.

"Oh yeah? Got a name, big guy?" I asked. That's how Stryker deals with jerkish adults. The moment it came out of my mouth, I regretted it.

The man stared at me for a moment with a smug look on his face. My vision began to change and I was no longer sitting on a porch. I was suddenly in a vineyard, being surrounded by vines and grapes. I squirmed and they wrapped tighter around me. I couldn't breath when I heard a pop, and suddenly I was back on the porch, grabbing at my neck where the vines once were.

"My name is Mr. D. You shall address me as such if you want to keep your sanity. Now scamper off to the undetermined cabin where you belong," he said. I decided I hated this guy.

"I hope you know that you don't scare me," I said, scowling.

Mr. D rolled his eyes and sipped at his Diet Coke. "A rebel, eh? Well I'll break you later. For now, why don't you just talk to Chiron." The name Chiron sounded vaugely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

I glared at him while the man in the wheelchair rolled over to the other side of the porch and Channing steered me away from Mr. D.

"What are you trying to get yourself killed?" Channing asked, grabbing my shoulders.

I shook my head. "He's just a jerk. And I've delt with enough jerks in my life," I said simply.

Channing shook his head and gazed at me. "What?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he said, snapping out of whatever world he was in.

"You were looking at me funny," I said.

"Must have been your stupidity showing."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"You're such a child!" I exclaimed and he smirked.

Chiron cleared his throat. I glared at him. I definitely wasn't in the mood.

"Stryker, do you know anything of the Greek myths?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Not this rubbish again."

Chiron smiled. "You know, last child tried to stab me with a fork. You're taking it quite well," he said.

"Who was the last kid?" Channing asked.

"Hmm, I believe it was Chase Sieg. Anyway, I assume Channing has told you that you are in fact a demigod. Now, in Greek mythology―"

"I know! Half god, half human. I've gathered that much. Now what I want to know is why you people believe in this crud." I glared at the man. "I want proof."

Chiron sighed. "I suspected as much." He began to rise from his wheelchair and suddenly a hoof was on the ground. Another one hit the floor and soon the two hind legs were exposed.

I gasped as I looked at the once wheelchair bound Chiron. I knew where the name sounded familiar from. He was a centaur. Chiron stood in front of me, half horse, half man.

"Does this convince you?" he asked.

I nodded slowly, eyes wide. "But I still don't think that I'm a child of a god. There's no way you can prove that."

Channing suddenly smiled, focusing on a point above my head. "Yeah? look up, Britain."

I glanced up and staggered backwards. Above my head glittered a rainbow. It shimmered thousands of colors and looked like it was made of dew drops. It slowly faded as I gazed awestruck at it.

"Iris, interesting," Chiron said. "Looks as if we'll finally get to use that cabin."

"Who's Iris?" I asked.

"Goddess of the rainbow," Chiron said, smiling down at me.

Channing smirked. "Told you so!"

I looked back at them. "I guess I might actually believe you," I said meekly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Channing said, still smirking.

"Shut up, twit," I said.

"Well it explains the eyes," he said.

I crossed my arms and glared at Channing. "You are possibly the most annoying little boy I've ever met."

Channing looked pretty proud, but a girl's voice behind me said, "Believe me, if you don't already hate him, you will."

"Hayden," Channing growled.

I turned around and saw a girl with golden hair and eyes that matched. She was very tan, almost like she had bathed in sunlight. She was pretty, but she had a way of looking down her nose at me, like I wasn't worth looking at.

Then I saw Dakota. "Dakota!" I exclaimed.

She smiled and hugged me. "I'm glad you're alive."

I flashed a quick smile and said, "Me too."

"I saw you get claimed," Dakota said bluntly.

"Oh, yeah? Pretty cool wasn't it?"

Dakota smiled a bit. "Mine was better. I got a little snow flake and it actually snowed above me. So I win." She winked.

"Wait, who is your parent?" I asked cautiously.

"Khione, goddess of snow," Dakota said, and smiled.

**A/N: Ever heard of Khione? Didn't think so. Tell me if you have, I'd love to talk to you(:**

**Liked it? Good. Review. Hated it? Even better. Now tell me why.**

**Darlings, I do this for you, so review. Please? A review makes my day.**

**Tell me if you like everyone so far.**

**Thanks darlings(:**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	3. Chapter Three: Camp HalfBlood

**A/N: Please review when you finish reading this. Don't care if you hate it, I wanna know why.**

**Chapter Three- Stryker**

I gave Dakota a look and she shrugged. Her white hair floated around her, giving her a sort of halo.

Hayden and Channing were arguing about something, but I wasn't paying attention.

Channing caught my arm as I was turning back to Dakota and pulled me closer. "She understands who she is!" Channing bragged.

"Yeah, so?" I said.

Channing ignored me and Hayden rolled her eyes at him. "Well Dakota was claimed faster. So I win!" she yelled, getting in his face.

Channing blushed and glared at Hayden. The girl got a smug look on her face and grabbed Dakota. Channing opened his mouth to say something but Chiron held up his hand. "Enough! Channing, you show Stryker around camp, and Hayden, you show Dakota. But please, for the two girls' sanity, start on opposite sides."

Channing grimaced and Hayden rolled her golden eyes.

When they managed to drag Dakota and me apart, Channing grumbled something about how night was better than day and I nudged him.

"I'm assuming that you two were an item," I said bluntly.

Channing glared at me as we walked off the porch. "I would never date her in a million years. Ever. Never ever. I'd rather date a manticore." He shuddered and I rolled my eyes.

"Was it a messy breakup?" I asked coyly.

Channing stopped and grabbed my shoulders. "We. Did. Not. Date!" he yelled, shaking me.

I smiled and looked up at him. "Whatever you say," I mumbled.

He groaned and put his hand to his forehead.

We walked a good ways down a dirt path past a volleyball court. We kept walking past a small building labeled "Arts and Crafts." Channing was silent the entire time until we came to a lake.

"Okay, so this is the canoe lake, and um, yeah it's used for canoeing," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Okay captain obvious," I said, raising an eyebrow.

We continued on past an amphitheater and I saw a climbing wall. Lava flowed down from the top and rocks clashed together. "Are we actually supposed to use that?" I asked.

"Well, duh. Do you see any other climbing walls around here?" Channing said, a bit harshly for my tastes.

"What happens if you get hurt?"

Channing laughed. "Then sucks for you. Make friends with an Apollo kid or something."

I must have looked terrified because Channing laughed again. "Apparently British people are also cowards," he said, leaning close.

I glared at him and shoved him back. "I was born in America! And for your information, you're pretty cowardly too. I mean, picking fights with a girl. Real heroic," I retorted.

Channing gave me a death glare. "Just because I'm the kid of a minor god doesn't mean I'm not heroic!" he said.

I knew I'd hit his soft spot. "Oh, yeah? I bet you can't even fight!"

Channing regained his former smile and grabbed my arm. "Oh I can. Just not against a girl," he said. The way he said girl was like someone force fed him steamed broccoli through a tube.

I set my face in stone and looked past him. "Can we continue with this? I'd like to see Dakota again if possible."

Channing led me to a pavilion surrounded by Greek style columns. Tons of small tables surrounded twelve bigger ones. "This is where we eat and stuff." He pointed to a small table. "That's yours."

I blinked. I had to eat alone?

Channing walked away and I followed at his heels. We passed Hayden and Dakota and Channing glared angrily at Hayden. I waved at Dakota and we shared a smile before our two tour guides pulled us away from each other.

We walked down a slight hill and I saw a cluster of cabins. Fourteen cabins made up the main rectangle and lots of smaller ones were set around them in rows. Channing kept walking and I stopped to stare at the array of people. Kids were coming and going from almost every cabin and I found it facinating. Channing grabbed my arm and tugged me along.

"I'll show you your cabin later," he promised.

We walked to an arena and I saw two boys fighting. I recognized one of the boys as Percy. The two boys fighting clashed swords and I cocked my head, interested to see who would win. They both had black hair, but one was tan and the other was pale and shorter.

Finally the older boy won and Channing strode into the arena with me at his heels. "Percy," he said nodding to the older boy.

The boy smiled a bit and touched something to the tip of his sword. The blade shrunk until the boy held a pen. I'm sure my eyes were the size of saucers now and I blinked to return them to normal size.

"What's up Channing? Stryker, I didn't really get to introduce myself earlier." the boy asked, nodding at me.

I smiled a tiny bit and said, "Hi."

The boy wiped sweat from his brow. "I'm Percy Jackson, it's nice to meet you." He held out his sweaty hand and I shook it gingerly. He smiled and his eyes were bright green.

"Yeah, er, same," I said awkwardly.

Channing glared a bit at the younger boy.

Channing waved a quick goodbye and began walking away. I gave a nod at Percy.

"You glare at people a lot," I said to Channing as he marched away.

"It's just that Nico thinks he's so awesome. 'Oh I can shadow travel during the day,'" Channing said in a mocking voice, waving his arms around.

"Somebody just isn't good at making friends," I said under my breath.

We walked down past another building which Channing informed me to be the armory.

I suddenly heard a sound like metal being hit by a hammer. "What's that banging noise?" I asked.

"Oh, that's me and your mom," Channing said casually and I rolled my eyes.

"Charming," I mumbled.

"Somebody got a crush?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

I hit his arm. "Not if you were the last boy on earth!" I said sharply.

"Oh, honey, your hormones would take over if that's what happened," Channing said and winked.

I gagged and wacked him again. "Seriously, what is that noise?" I asked.

"Oh you mean besides me and your mom?" I glared at him and he held up his hands innocently. "It's just the forge. The Hephaestus kids pretty much live in there."

I still couldn't believe any of this was real, but Channing led me to some stables and whistled softly. A horse came out and whinnied. Then I saw the wings. I probably turned a lovely shade of white and stumbled back. Channing caught my arm and I rubbed my eyes.

"This can't be real," I whispered. The horse cantered up to the fence and I rubbed its nose.

Channing rolled his eyes. "I thought we were over the shock," he mumbled and pulled me away.

He pointed to some woods. "Stay out of there at night. Unless, of course, you want to meet me in there," he said and gave me a smirk.

"Will you stop hitting on me?" I demanded.

"Oh, I'm not hitting on you. Don't flatter yourself. I'm practicing my pick up lines for the Aphrodite girls." he said as a pretty girl walked by. Channing winked at her and waved. She rolled her eyes and kept walking. "Me and Shelby go way back," he said.

"Let me guess, she's rejected you a dozen times?" I asked and crossed my arms.

"No! Just a few. But she's coming around," he said, almost to himself.

I laughed and he led me back to the cabins. We walked past some pretty interesting buildings but we didn't stop at any of them. Finally Channing stopped in front of a cabin. It shimmered in the sunlight and looked like a million dew drops had formed it. Colors danced off the outside walls creating little flecks of light. I pushed the door open and there were two bunk beds. There were two large windows on either side of the door and I pulled the curtains back. The late afternoon sunlight poured in and the inside walls had the same effect. There wasn't much in the cabin, but I figured it didn't really matter. I turned around and saw that the entire back wall was painted with a faded rainbow. Not the cheesy kind, but the natural kind.

Channing raised an eyebrow. "Does the queen like what she sees? Me included?"

I whipped around and smiled. "Yes I do actually. But don't get too happy, I wasn't talking about you," I said and he smirked.

Channing rolled his eyes, but kept his grin. "It's time you meet some people," he said.

I followed him out of the cabin and we walked around the others for about a minute. We came upon an all black cabin with a skull and crossbones hung above the door. I got a feeling that the bones were real. The cabin had horrific scenes of people dying painted on it. I shuddered.

Channing knocked on the door and a boy opened it. He had jet black shaggy hair. His irises were pure black and his skin was almost white. He had dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't slept well. He smiled at Channing and then noticed me.

"This is Stryker," Channing said, seeing the boy's confusion. "Though she's a wild one. Those kids of Iris, man you gotta look out for them."

The boy laughed a little and extended his hand. "I'm Tanner Moarte. Don't let Channing over here get to you, he's a card," he said.

"Pleasure to meet you Tanner," I said and smiled.

"Oh my gods! You're British!" Tanner said with amazement.

I rolled my eyes. People reacted this way sometimes, freaking out about my slight accent. If you ask me, my father and sister's were much stronger.

Channing spoke up. "No, no. She's American. She's in denial. She's not really British," he said. I wacked his arm as hard as I could and he winced.

Tanner laughed at us. "This should be interesting. You two are either going to get married, or kill each other," he said and we both glared at the boy.

Tanner held up his hands and smirked. Dakota and Hayden saw us and began making their way over. Channing glared at Hayden but she kept walking toward us.

Hayden smiled at Tanner and he blushed. "Hey, Tanner," she said sweetly.

Tanner blushed deeper and mumbled, "Hey, Hayden."

Channing rolled his eyes. "If you two are done being weirdos, do you know where Chase is?"

Hayden glared at Channing even more and said, "No idea. Last I saw him he was running. Probably away from you," she muttered.

I stood by Dakota and we were in the middle of a fierce thumb war when a boy ran up. He was decked out in Nike clothes. Black Nike basketball shorts and a white Nike T-shirt. He wore Nike running shoes and a Nike sweatband on his wrist. He had golden blonde curly hair and deep green eyes. He smiled at us and looked curiously at Dakota and me.

"I'm Chase," he said, waving a bit and I nodded.

"I'm Dakota and this is Stryker. Nice Nike clothes. You sure wear a lot," Dakota said, gesturing at his outfit.

Chase grinned proudly and said, "My mom is Nike. Goddess of victory and all that jazz. Jealous? I would be too."

I rolled my eyes. Another cocky boy to deal with.

Chase studied me closely and snapped his fingers. "Your eyes are pretty awesome, not gonna lie," he said and I mumbled a thanks.

A horn blew, and it sounded like a conch. Channing tapped my shoulder. "Dinner time," he said and our group wandered up to the dining pavilion.

Channing explained that we had to offer part of our food to the gods and I did. I sat alone at my table and ate awkwardly. After dinner was over, Dakota and I walked back to our cabins. They were pretty far apart, but we still walked together. It felt good to get to see her again. I asked what she knew about Parker.

"Not much," Dakota admitted. "Hayden wouldn't tell me."

"Channing didn't tell me much either. But he said your dad made it," I added, trying to cheer her up.

Dakota smiled a little and picked at her nails. "Yeah, I'm really glad he made it. Next to you, he's my best friend. Aren't I cool?" She laughed and I felt better.

We parted and I went into my new home. I looked around the dark room and sighed.

_My first day went well_, I thought.

I put my head down on the pillow and was asleep within seconds. Unfortunately, my dreams were rough.

**A/N: Okay. Frankly, I don't like Hayden. Well, I might make her turn out okay, I've got a couple of ideas in my head. **

**Review, please.**

**Like it? Sweet. Hate it? Even better, tell me why. **

**Review, please please please. If you read it, just tell me what you thought. I'd love that. **

**Thanks, darlings.**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	4. Chapter Four: The Call

I was in a dark room tied to a chair and cold hands wrapped around my neck. I tried to talk, but my mouth was gagged.

"They thought I would sit quietly while he took all of the credit," a cold voice said. "What will happen when I halt it? Or make it run rampant?"

I struggled against my bonds and the cold voice laughed.

I felt something like cold water being splashed on me and I woke with a start. Channing stood over me with a goofy grin and a cup of ice water. "Wakey wakey eggs and bacie!" he said and I grabbed his shirt.

"Don't do that!" I yelled. I knocked the glassed forward and it spilled down his shirt.

"I guess I deserved that," he said, pulling his shirt off.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Please don't take your clothes off. It's hard enough to look at your face," I begged.

Channing smirked. "You know you like it," he said with confidence. He shook the ice out and pulled his shirt back on.

I got up and realized I was still wearing the same orange T-shirt. Channing tossed me a plain white one and I recognized it as my own. I shoved him out the door and pulled my familiar shirt over my head.

I stepped out of the cabin and Channing put an arm around me. "So, babe, what do you wanna do today? Maybe me?" He winked and I pushed his arm away.

"Channing, please. I'd rather die a million deaths," I growled and he smirked again.

"You know you want me. It's just a matter of time," Channing said and nudged me.

I rolled my eyes and he linked his arm in mine. "Time to find out if you're as useless as you seem," he said.

Channing dragged me to the armory and pulled two swords from somewhere. "You actually expect me to fight?" I asked.

Channing nodded and tossed me a sword. "I expect you to suck. And I'm gonna kick your sorry butt," he said sourly.

Channing strode back to the arena and held up the blade. "Bring it, Britain," he said and I lifted my weapon.

He struck my sword and it went flying arcoss the arena. I retrieved it and blushed. Channing smirked and nodded. I tried to attack but he parried and my sword flew out of my hands again. A girl walked into the arena and giggled.

"I suck at that too," she said, handing me my weapon. "You should try archery."

She got me a bow and some arrows and soon had a target set up. She showed me how to notch an arrow and I aimed carefully. But when I released the string, the arrow flew a good two feet before crashing to the ground. The girl gave me an encouraging smile and I tried again. Channing was getting a kick out of my failures and I glared at him. The girl worked with me for another fifteen minutes before I grimaced and admitted defeat.

"That's okay," she said happily. "You'll find something!"

I nodded and Channing ran off to find some guy. I stood awkwardly next to the girl.

"I'm Stryker," I said, just to fill the silence.

"Cool, I'm Elisabeth," she said.

"Who's your parent?" I asked.

Elisabeth beamed. "Apollo," she said proudly.

Just then Channing walked up with a red headed boy. He smiled at me and his hazel eyes sparkled. There was something about him that just screamed awesome. "I'm Aidan Chanter," he said with an Irish accent. That's where the awesome came from. "And I suppose you are Stryker. Channing told me you needed a spot of help with fighting," Aidan said and I smiled. Another foreign kid was always good. He spotted Elisabeth and she smiled.

Aidan gave her a bright smile and skipped over to where Channing and I stood. He eyed me before pulling out a little flashlight. He pressed a button and it turned into a long spear.

"Ready?" he asked. I looked around and Channing sighed. He stalked off and returned with a spear.

Aidan taught me the basics and we took fighting stances. Within minutes I got a good jab to the ribs. Channing laughed from the sidelines and I threw a rock at him. It his him in the chest and he staggered back.

"Good aim," he gasped, trying to fill his lungs with air.

Aidan and I gave up and he went to get Chase. A crowd was gathering and I stood humiliated in the middle of the arena.

Chase strode in and smiled at me. "This should be easy," he said and cracked his knuckles.

Chase decided he was going to wrestle me and Elisabeth got a worried look on her face. He had me pinned down in a matter of seconds.

Chase pecked my cheek with a quick kiss and winked. I threw him off of me in disgust. "Hey, Stryker, I was kidding!" he yelled, more to an angry looking Channing than me.

Finally, the girl from earlier, Annabeth, strode into the arena. "You're my last hope," I muttered and she smiled.

"I'm glad to help," she said and handed me a small knife.

We fought for a minute but she soon got me. I threw the knife in frustration and it impailed itself in the middle of the target that Elisabeth had set up earlier. Channing grinning and tossed me another knife.

"Do it again," he commanded.

I took a deep breath and threw the knife as hard as I could. It landed in the center again. I smiled a little and Channing grinned widely.

"You're a natural!" he exclaimed while Aidan retrieved the knives.

The small crowd dissapated and Annabeth and Elisabeth ran off too, leaving me with Channing, Aidan, and Chase. Aidan patted me on the back and said, "You have a talent there, lassy. Use it."

I grabbed a knife from Channing and threw it. Another bull's eye and I smiled. Channing wrapped an arm around me again and I pushed it off.

"Just trying to congratulate you, Britain. You're actually not worthless," he said and smiled crookedly at me.

I couldn't help but smile back and I felt like we were actually sharing a moment, that is, until Hayden walked in.

"Don't let Prince Charming over here get to you," she said coldly.

Channing snapped out of his daze. "Shut up, you wretched little piece of pegasus poop. Why don't you go rot in Tartarus for a couple of years!" he yelled.

Hayden rolled her eyes and said, "You are so mature, Channing. Why this girl has feelings for you I will never understand."

Channing's eyes widened for a second and I blushed. "I don't have feelings for him!" I cried.

Hayden rolled her gold eyes and Dakota danced up to where we stood. "What are we arguing about now?" she asked sweetly, putting herself between Channing and Hayden.

Hayden sighed. "Oh, it's just Channing being an idiot again," she said.

Dakota pulled out a knife. I instinctively took a step back. Hayden pulled one out too and said, "Watch this."

She and Dakota circled each other for a minute before Dakota dove in. She gracefully danced around Hayden, getting in close and then twirling back. Hayden caught her strikes every time, but Dakota was fast and graceful. Not once did she stagger, but only seemed to dance more fluidly around Hayden. Finally Hayden slipped up. When Dakota got in close, she tried to strike her knife away, but Dakota swiftly brought her leg around and tripped Hayden. The girl fell to the ground and Dakota held the knife to her throat.

Channing smirked. "Off with her head!"

Dakota giggled and got up, releasing Hayden.

"That was beautiful!" I cried.

"Ten years in classical ballet make some things easy," Dakota said and she shrugged.

Tanner sauntered into the arena and smiled a little, but the moment was gone when he winced. He glanced at Hayden who was covered in dust and Channing laughed. "She got beat by a snow nymph!"

Dakota huffed and looked offended. "I'm not a nymph! My mother is a snow goddess!"

"Same difference. We're all kids of minor gods. Like we matter anyway," Chase said with a look of defeat.

"Hey now!" I cried. "Just because our parents aren't Zeus or Poseidon doesn't mean we can't be something huge!"

I looked around at my new friends, me included. Seven half-bloods stared at each other with looks of confusion.

Tanner suddenly doubled over. He stood slowly and a look of pure evil crossed his face. His voice was deep as he spoke, almost like it was coming from the deepest pits of hell. "So it seems the seven half-bloods have gathered," he said.

We all stepped back from him. Tanner's eyes glowed red and his face turned white. I could see dark blood flowing beneath his thin layer of pale skin. His veins looked like they were filled with black, and Tanner struggled to gain control. His eyes turned black for a second but were soon back to the glowing red they were before.

"I will succeed!" Tanner cried. His voice sounded so evil that I wanted to hide.

"Who are you?" I yelled and Tanner laughed evilly.

His red eyes glowed brighter and his voice doubled. "I am Thanatos! God of death! I will never be overshadowed again! I will exact my revenge on the world for the punishment I am forced to endure!" Tanner clutched his stomach and his eyes flashed black again. He cried out in shear agony and the cry haunted me in my dreams for months. It was the sound of someone's soul being ripped apart. Tanner fell to his knees and ripped at his chest. "Get out!" he cried.

Tanner's eyes turned red again and a gruesome smile crossed his lips. "Obey your father, boy."

Tanner cried out again. "No!"

We stood in shocked silence watching this boy writhe in pain when he let out a bloodcurdling scream. "Be gone demon!" he yelled.

Tanner tore at his chest and I felt a wave of energy knock me down. Our group struggled to our feet, but a wall of black energy surrounded Tanner. One eye was glowing red and the other was black. He arched his back and twisted painfully.

"I am no demon!" the evil voice cried.

Tanner screamed again and his black eye turned red. "I am going to release hell upon the world! I give you three days! Try to stop me, if you dare!" the voice screamed. Then Tanner howled and another wall of energy radiated from him.

Tanner squeezed his eyes shut and when he opened them they were black again. "Get out of me!" he yelled and pushed his arms out.

The voice took over again and cackled. "Try and stop me, daughter of the rainbow! Your petty quest will fail!" it shrieked before Tanner ripped at his chest again.

"Leave!" Tanner's voice cried and one last wall of black energy rolled off of him. He collasped and I rushed forward.

"Tanner!" I cried and he opened his black eyes. His black veins slowly turned normal again and he got a little color back.

"Stryker?" he asked.

"I'm right here," I whispered.

Channing knelt beside me and looked concerned. "Tanner, what was that?" he asked.

Tanner took in a shakey breath. "That was my father. And he has called upon us," he said slowly.

**A/N: Mhm. Thanatos is mad, and you shall soon find out why.**

**Okay, in case you were wondering, Channing is a pimp. I love him, but he's a jerk to Hayden. You'll find out why soon, I promise.**

**As always, review. This is the last chapter I'm posting tonight, and when I get five reviews, I'll post the next chapter. Oh, and they need to be from five different people. So, review it. **

**Thanks, darlings.**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	5. Chapter Five: The Quest

**A/N: Finally!**

**I do NOT own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I only own my seven half-bloods.**

**Read and review, darlings.**

**Chapter Five**

We stood staring at Tanner and he grimaced, clutching his chest.

"Tanner," Hayden whispered. "What in Hades happened to you?"

Tanner shook his head. "I don't know. I felt a pain in my stomach earlier―"

"Are you sure it's not just that time of the month?" Channing asked and smirked. At first I thought Tanner would punch him, but he just laughed weakly.

"I'm sure. Anyway, I walked over here and all the sudden I couldn't control myself," Tanner said and shuddered.

Chase and Aidan helped him up and Channing helped them get him to the Big House. Dakota, Hayden, and I followed behind.

Chiron and Mr. D were playing cards.

Channing cleared his throat. Chiron looked up and his eyes widened.

We explained quickly the events and Chiron and Mr. D exchanged glances.

"He said 'So it seems the seven half-bloods have gathered'?" Chiron asked.

We nodded and Chiron turned his gaze to me. "He also said it was your quest?"

I nodded and Chiron sighed. "I suppose you must retrieve the prophecy from the Oracle then."

Chiron led me to a staircase that led up to a closed door. I heard music coming down from the room and gulped. "She used to be scarier," Chiron said soothingly.

I swallowed hard. "Good luck, Britain," Channing whispered.

I walked quickly up the stairs and looked back down. I slowly opened the door and peered in. I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. The attic was decked out with splatter painted walls and a small stereo. Paintings hung from the walls and pieces of crumpled paper littered the floor. A girl with frizzy red hair was humming along to the music and painting. I couldn't tell what it was, but judging from the other artwork, she seemed pretty good.

I cleared my throat and she spun around, paint brush in hand. Some of the gold paint flew off the brush and landed on my nose. I wiped some of it off, but I got the feeling that most of it remained.

The girl gave me a strange look and I threw one back at her. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Stryker Mensi. Um, Chiron sent me up here to get the, uh, prophecy," I said awkwardly.

The girl cocked an eyebrow. "I don't know which one he means," she said as she returned to painting.

I rubbed the back of my head and said, "Look, I just saw my friend get possessed by some god of death and―"

The girl spun around and doubled over. When she rose slowly her eyes glowed neon green. I took a step back, but she grabbed my shoulders.

_"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,_

_To storm or fire the world must fall._

_An oath to keep with a final breath,_

_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._

_Child of the dead to part ways with his father,_

_And the rainbow shall see a new daughter_

_The help of the trees the seven shall need_

_Lest on the living death shall feed." _

On the last word, the girl collasped and I steadied her.

"Are you okay?" I asked as she caught her breath.

She stood and smiled brightly. "Why wouldn't I be?" She returned to her painting as if nothing had happened and I retreated down the stairs.

I closed the door softly behind me and ran straight into Dakota.

"What did she say?" Dakota asked eagerly.

I pushed past her and she pouted a bit. "Stryker!" Channing called. "What happened?"

I must have been pale because Chiron steadied my swaying.

"What did she say?" Chiron urged.

I took a deep breath and repeated the prophecy. Tanner looked down as all eyes turned to him.

"The next Great Prophecy has been issued," Chiron said softly. "I'm surprised she added to it though. That rarely happens."

I blinked back confusion. I had no idea what was going on and my heart was pounding. I was scared and I felt like a little girl again. Everyone looked at me.

"Well," Channing said. "You gonna pick the other six half-bloods?"

I stammered through my words. "I think Thanatos made it pretty clear that we are the seven half-bloods. But can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked.

Chiron gestured for me to sit. I followed his instruction and he paced in front of me.

"You see, Stryker, you are about to go on a quest." I nodded and he continued. "You just spoke to the Oracle of Apollo, Rachel Dare. The prophecy she spoke of is the next great prophecy. Now, the Doors of Death are most likely the doors to the House of Thanatos. I shall leave the rest to you," he said.

"Where is the House of Thanatos?" I asked.

"In the Underworld. Now, the entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles. None of you can drive," Chiron mused. "But I suppose we could arrange a bus ride to Pittsburgh, but from there you're on your own."

I gulped down my fear and nodded. "When do we leave?" Channing asked.

"Tomorrow morning?" I suggested.

Channing shook his head. "We don't need a bus ride to Pittsburgh. I can jump us across the states in a matter of hours if we leave at, oh, say nine o'clock tonight."

I gave him a look and he nodded. "I can only do it at night, I can think of a place and if it's late enough there I can get us there no problem!" he said happily.

Hayden crossed her arms. "I don't trust him," she said with a scowl.

"What is your problem?" Channing growled.

Hayden got in his face. "You're my problem!"

I stepped between them. "Guys!" I said and they backed up, still glaring at each other.

Aidan cleared his throat. "We have, what, three hours before it starts to get dark?" he asked.

Channing closed his eyes. "Two hours, forty-seven minutes, twelve seconds. Eleven, ten―"

I sighed. "Let's not do a count down. And how would you know?" I snapped.

Channing got his cocky smile back. "How would I know?" he said, mocking me. "My mother happens to be the goddess of night. I am a child of darkness, son of Nyx!" he said proudly.

"Explains the horrible attitude, wouldn't you think so, Stryker?" Hayden remarked.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I asked, turning on her.

"Because Hayden is actually a guy and happens to be jealous of my manliness!" Channing proclaimed.

Hayden rolled her eyes and said, "Because my mother is the goddess of day, Hemera. Night and day don't mix well."

I nodded and looked at Aidan. He was the only one who's parentage remained a mystery to me.

Aidan smiled a toothy grin and said, "I suppose you want to know who my mother is." I nodded and he continued. "My mother is Calliope, leader of the nine Muses."

"Isn't she the goddess of rhyming or something?" Dakota asked.

Aidan gasped, obviously offended. "Calliope is the Muse of epic poetry!" he said.

"Mhm," Channing mused. "I suppose that makes you a poetry freak."

Aidan turned red. "No! I just happen to be good at rhyming and singing," he scoffed.

"Hey, Aidan?" Chase asked. "What language do you speak other than English?"

Aidan puffed his chest proudly. "Gaelic!" he proclaimed.

Channing smirked. "Gaelic? Hmm, sounds supsiciously like gay." It was obvious that he and Chase had planned this.

Dakota jumped to his defense. "Shut up! You're kind of a jerk," she said. We hadn't even left camp yet and we were already arguing like children.

Channing smirked. "You and Hayden are like twins."

Dakota and Hayden lunged forward, but I placed myself in the middle. "Enough!" I cried.

Tanner stood. "Stryker is right. We have seven days to kick my father's butt into next week and we're wasting time arguing." It was the first time he'd spoken since his little episode earlier.

Channing glared at Dakota and Hayden but otherwise kept his mouth shut. Chase lowered his eyes and Aidan placed a hand on Tanner's shoulder. I took a deep breath and put my hands on my hips.

"Well what are we waiting for? We have two and a half hours before dark!" I said.

Channing held up his hand. "Two hours, forty-three minutes, thirty-seven seconds," he corrected.

I rolled my eyes and Channing smirked at me. "When you roll your eyes, it's like an acid trip," he said. "The trippy colors, man―"

I wacked his arm and his smirk grew. Chiron stepped into our group. "I suggest you prepare yourselves," he said. "I didn't expect it to come so soon," he muttered to himself.

I shuffled out of the door and Channing followed me. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered.

I shook my head and my hair hit him in the face. I didn't realize he was so close. "Channing, I'm up against a god! I can't do this, I'm a kid of a minor goddess! I'm not powerful enough."

Channing put his hand on my shoulder and turned me around. "There was a time when a boy was up against a Titan," he said.

I looked up. "I bet he died," I muttered.

Channing smiled a little and shook his head. "Don't you remember that boy I introduced you to? Percy Jackson?"

I remembered and nodded.

Channing smiled wider. "That's him. He defeated a Titan, well with help from his human host. Percy is possibly the most powerful half-blood to be born in years."

I thought about it. "But who is Percy's parent?" I asked.

Channing's smile faded a bit. "Poseidon," he muttered before his smile returned. "But we've got powers too!"

"I don't," I muttered.

Channing shook his head violently. "Yes you do! How do you think you got to camp?"

"I prayed to my mum. That was her."

Channing shook his head again. "No it wasn't. That was you. I'm sure you could get us to Los Angeles in no time, but you just haven't mastered it yet." A smiled crossed his lips. "Stryker, you're powerful too. Don't ever forget that," he whispered. Then he did something so completely un-Channing like I almost gasped. Channing wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. I'd like to say that I socked him in the nose for hugging me, but I just melted into the hug.

I heard someone clear their throat behind us and we pushed apart. I blushed and Channing took a step back. Chase stood in front of us with Hayden behind him. Both were smirking at us and Channing stammered, "I was just, um―"

"Oh save it," Hayden said and Dakota peeked out from behind her.

"Looks like Stryker's got herself a man," Dakota said sweetly.

I shot her a glare. "We were just talking!"

"Sure," she said.

I threw my hands up and stalked back to my cabin. I heard Chase say, "Looks like Channing found a new girl to play."

Dakota chased after me. "Stryker, I was only kidding."

I turned around and sighed in defeat. I couldn't stay mad at Dakota. "I know, it's all the stress suddenly thrust on my shoulders. Why do I have to lead the stupid quest?"

While I was venting Dakota looked over her shoulder. Chase and Channing were walking down the hill together and headed in the opposite direction. I stared after Channing and felt little butterflies in my stomach. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. There was no way I liked Channing. He was rude, obnoxious, immature, and cocky. I pushed my feelings to the back of my mind.

Dakota gave me a curious look but let it pass. "Let's get ready for this thing, okay?"

I nodded and we walked back to my cabin. Somehow, some of my stuff was there. I couldn't figure out what happened until I saw Annabeth sitting on my bed. She smiled and got up.

"I convinced Dionysus that I should be able to at least get you an extra shirt, but your sister insisted that I take a few extra things," Annabeth said and handed me a small box.

Tears welled in my eyes. The tiny blue box was filled with childhood memories and I opened it. Abby and I had put anything in it that we thought was cool, like a small rubber dinosaur and baby bracelets. Little worthless trinkets lay shining inside and I picked through them. I found a sheet of paper at the bottom and unfolded it. My hands shook as I read it and I let my tears finally fall. On the paper, Abby had written me a letter.

_"Dear Stryker,_

_ I miss you more than you can imagine. I haven't slept in days, I've been so worried. Dad explained to me what was _

_happened but I refused to believe him. That is until a girl hopped in through your window and told me the same story. I gave her your _

_bag, and put some clothes in it. Also, I kind of took Dad's wallet to do some shopping, but I figure you need the money more. I _

_hope one hundred dollars does you good. I know I'm not the same as you, and we had some major fights but I love you more than _

_anything. Please know that whenever you need me, I'm here for you. I'm back off to college in a few days, but California isn't too far, _

_right? I love you so much Stryker, and your life is so important to me. Please, for my sake, be safe._

_Love, Abby._

_P.S. If you tell anyone I actually said that I love you, I will deny it."_

I sat on the bed and refolded the letter. I wiped my tears away and slipped the paper back into the box.

Annabeth gave me a soft smile and handed me a bag. It was my backpack filled with a few clothes. I pulled the clothes out and looked at them. I didn't have much of a fashion sense, so my only options were two plain T-shirts and a pair of shorts. I continued to paw through the things and found a necklace. It was a simple gold chain and had a little charm on it. The charm was round and had little birds carved into it. I recognized it as the necklace that Abby never took off.

I put it on and touched my neck. Dakota and Annabeth studied me carefully. I dumped the rest of the contents of the backpack on my bed. Abby had packed a mythology book and I smiled. I finally found my little purse. My dad had said that my mum had sent it to me when I was about ten. It was woven and had camels sown on. When I was younger, it reminded me of Persia. I suddenly realized it was actually a gift from my mum. I closed my eyes slowly and took a deep breath. I half expected it to explode, but when I opened my eyes, nothing happened. I unzipped the pocket and found my house keys and a small red lighter. I laughed slightly to myself. I was a total pyromaniac. I flicked the lighter and a tiny flame sprang to life.

Dakota rolled her eyes. "Not able to kick that nasty habit?" she asked.

I shook my head and took my thumb off the lighter. The little flame died.

Annabeth shifted awkwardly. "Um, be careful with that," she said. "The dyrads might not be to happy if you burn down the woods."

I nodded and slipped it back in my purse. I found my wallet and Abby had been telling me the truth. One hundred dollars in cash was laying in the thing. Annabeth cracked a smile when she saw my wallet. I guess it was kind of funny because my wallet was a British flag.

I looked out the window and saw that the sun was already setting. Annabeth made an excuse for leaving and waved goodbye.

"Are you ready?" Dakota asked.

I shook my head. "I'm thirteen and I have to stop a crazy god. I don't think anyone would be ready."

Dakota sighed. "I gotta go get my stuff together. You wanna come?" she asked.

I followed her out of my cabin and down the long row. We followed the path and were soon in front of a crystal cabin. It looked like solid ice, and the roof was covered in a thin layer of snow. Dakota pushed aside a block of ice and walked in. I followed her and immediatly wished I hadn't. It was even colder in here than her old bedroom. I shivered and she pulled out a backpack. Dakota pushed some clothes into it and then tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Ready?" she asked.

We got back to my cabin just as Channing and Aidan were knocking on the door. They followed us inside, though Channing was unsually quiet. I attempted to put some stuff back in the backpack, but nothing seemed to fit. I sighed and threw my hands up. "I can't deal with this," I whispered.

Channing walked up behind me and picked up my purse. "Hey, it's a satchel!"

I snatched it away. "It's a gift from my mum. But it's too small to bring anything in," I said in defeat.

Aidan raised an eyebrow. "From your mum?" He paused and smiled. "Oh rhymes are so fetch!"

Channing nearly died. "Did you just say 'so fetch?'" he asked carefully.

Aidan nodded. "The Aphrodite girls and I decided it was the new it thing to say."

Channing's eyes got wide. "You hang with the Aphrodite girls?"

Aidan nodded again. Channing looked like he was about to cry.

"Aidan, what were you saying?" I asked impatienly.

Aidan thought for a minute and then snapped. "Empty the bag!"

I dumped the contents on the bed and Channing picked up the lighter. "Been smoking in the girls room?" he said and smirked.

I snatched it back. "No! Fire is just entertaining."

Aidan pulled the shorts off my bed. There was no way they would fit in the tiny bag, but he unzipped it anyway. He stuffed the wadded up pants in and they fit perfectly. My eyes widened and he grabbed a shirt and stuffed it in the same way. The bag didn't even look like it had anything in it. I picked it up and it felt light as a feather. I stuck my hand in and the bag was empty. My mind went into a panic. I thought about my shirt and suddenly I felt soft cotton in my hand. When I pulled my hand out I held my shirt. I did the same thing and my shorts appeared in my grasp. I smiled and Channing mumbled something.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't seem to catch that, darling."

Channing glared at me. "My mom never gave me anything," he scoffed.

I snorted. "Channing, she gave birth to you!"

"So! I want a satchel," he mumbled.

I rolled my eyes and his smile returned. "It's just so trippy," he said.

I smiled a bit and began stuffing my bag. I wondered absently if it had a limit. I slung the bag over my shoulder and my friends stood up.

"Twenty minutes," Channing said.

"Let's get Tanner, Hayden, and Chase," Dakota said and pulled Aidan ahead of us.

I walked awkwardly beside Channing. He cleared his throat and stared down at me. "So, Britain, what are you planning on doing to

Thanatos?" he asked.

"You know, I'd rather go by Stryker."

"Well I'd prefer to go by Spiff from Manlyville, but we don't always get what we want, now do we?" Channing's usual cocky smile was in place and I felt those weird flutters in my stomach again.

"Well, Spiff from Manlyville, I was planning on finding out what he plans on doing first. Then, I'm gonna use you as a human shield, and finally I'm going to kick his butt. How's about them apples?" I smiled up at him and he winked.

"I like them apples. But perhaps you could use Hayden as the shield, you'd miss me too much," Channing said and I couldn't help but laugh. His blue eyes sparkled in the sunset and my heartbeat picked up.

"Of course. Who else is there to be annoyed by," I said.

"That's the spirit, darling!"

"Why do you always call me darling?" I asked as we neared Half-Blood Hill.

He thought for a minute then smiled. "Because you're just so dang adorable," he said and pinched my cheeks.

We reached the hill and saw Percy, Annabeth, and Chiron. Most of the other campers crowded around the base of the hill.

"Two minutes," Channing muttered.

I took a deep breath and we marched through the crowd.

Channing eyed Hayden and then looked at Percy. "Hey, Percy, is there anyway that you could come with us instead of Hayden?" he asked.

Percy smiled but shook his head. "I'm done being involved with Great Prophecies. It's up to you guys," he said. Annabeth squeezed his arm.

Annabeth snapped her fingers. "Styker, I almost forgot!" She pulled a bronze knife from her pocket. It was different from the one she used to fight me with. It had a leather handle and the tip of the blade was razor sharp. She handed it to me. "This is special," she said. "It will always return to you once it hits its target." I thanked her and slid it into my bag.

Channing suddenly snapped his head up. "Thirty seconds," he said.

Around half a minute later, the sun dipped behind tree line. Channing got a wicked smile on his face and the night seemed to get just a little darker.

"Get close to me," he said to us. We all gathered in an awkward cluster around Channing.

Channing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes they were a deeper blue than usual. "Hold on, darling," he said to me softly. I grasped his arm and everyone made sure they were touching.

Channing got a wide smile and I knew our quest was officially on.

**A/N: Official quest time! **

**Sorry I added to the Great Prophecy, but I really needed to get that stuff in there. It might seem pointless, but I really wanted to make it clear that Tanner is NOT going to betray them. I'm done with writing betrayals. They cause too much drama in the story and make it more difficult to write.**

**I would like to thank Zo****ë** **Nightshade for her advice, but I just can't take this story down. I've come too far on it, and it's actually my favorite thing to write lately. I'm really grateful for her advice and I'm working on what she has told me to do. She's pretty brilliant and she's honest, which I appreciate. **

**Currently, I am putting off my summer reading assignments, so it might be a week or so before I can update again. But then again, I say that and in two days I might have chapter eight finished. My system is finish the chapter, write another, then post the previous one. It helps me if I want to change stuff.**

**If you liked this story, check out my other ones. "From the Foam of the Sea" is the one I'm most disapointed about. I recognize Aenea as a Mary Sue, and I'm working on that. But you should still read it, please.**

**Thanks for reading, now please review. Thanks darlings(:**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	6. Chapter Six: What Kind of City is This?

**A/N: I threw something in to prove to you that Stryker is not me. Nor are any of the other characters me.**

**Chapter Six**

Channing's grin widened as I got really cold. I shivered and closed my eyes. Suddenly I felt like I was being stretched very thin.

I didn't dare open my eyes, so when Channing squeezed my arm I jumped. His smile was bright and I looked around. Our group stood huddled around him in the middle of a cove. Houses surrounded us and I heard laughter. I turned and saw two girls walking down the little street. One was short and had curly brown hair and the other was tall and had golden blonde hair. They gave us curious looks, but said nothing. The two girls walked into a driveway and disapeared.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"In the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee. Germantown to be exact. I grew up here," Channing said.

Hayden growled. "Leave it to Channing to take us somewhere that we don't need to go," she said, throwing her hands up.

Tanner patted her shoulder and she seemed to calm down. "Channing, why are we here?" he asked slowly.

Channing blushed. "My, er, dad wanted to see me before I go off on a quest," he admitted.

We took about five minutes to stop laughing and the look on Channing's face set us off again.

"Well where does your dad live?" I asked through giggles.

Channing thought for a minute. "About eight miles from here," he said cheerfully and I groaned. The humidity here was already getting to me, it felt like I was choking on the thick air.

"Maybe we can find a ride," Dakota suggested.

Just then the two girls walked out of the driveway. The short one held a set of car keys and they walked toward a little white car. I didn't see how we could all fit, but it was worth a shot.

I ran to them. The tall one gave me a curious look and smiled, and the short one gave a quick smile. "Can we have a ride?" I asked nervously.

The girl with the keys looked at our large group. "I don't think you'll all fit. And I've got a restricted liseance, so it'd be totally illegal." Her face brightened. "But then again, you can double buckle if it's not too far."

"Only eight or so miles," Channing said. "Do you know where Houston High is?" he asked.

Both girls nodded. "We were just going there for a band meeting," the tall one said.

"I'm Camille, by the way," the short one said and smiled at us.

"I'm Elise," the tall one said and we piled in the tiny car.

"I know a girl named Elise," Channing said and gave his signature smile.

"Yeah, well it's not the rarest name ever," Elise said and offered to let me double buckle with her in the front. Camille nervously started the car as the other six demigods piled in.

There was barely enough room and Dakota had to sit in Hayden's lap.

Camille backed out of the driveway and waved to a little girl in the front yard. Her eyes widened and she ran up to the car. Camille rolled her window down.

"Mom's gonna kill you if she finds out!" the little girl cried.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Camille said quickly and the little girl shrugged. "Caroline, please don't tell her," she begged. "They just need a ride to the school."

Caroline waved a hand. "As long as Michael doesn't find out, you're good."

Camille smiled. "Thanks, Tub."

"Whatever, Chub. Now go before Mom gets home!" The little girl waved and Camille rolled up her window.

She pulled swiftly out of the driveway and drove out of the cove. We sat in awkward silence as Elise plugged an iPod in and bad European pop came on.

After a minute of silence, Camille spoke up. "So why are you guys needing to get to the school so bad?" she asked. She looked over at me and gave me a curious look. Her eyes were a shade of green, and they almost looked like Chase's.

I coughed nervously and Channing leaned forward. "Oh we, uh, need to get to my dad's place," he said.

"I'd take you all the way there, but we're already running late for the meeting, so I don't wanna risk it," Camille explained.

She didn't ask any more questions, and I was grateful for that. I studied Elise. She had golden hair and stormy blue eyes. Chase winked at her and she raised an eyebrow. Within five minutes, we pulled into a school. It looked somehow more like a prison than most prisons do. She pulled around the back and parked. We piled out and she waved goodbye. Camille and Elise walked into the side doors just as a fat man with a graying beard walked out.

"Ladies, you're late," he said.

"Sorry Mr. Smith," Elise said and Camille flashed an smile.

Channing led us down a road for a minute in the dark. We soon came to a white house with an ancient oak tree in the frontyard. Channing sucked in a breath and tried the door. It was locked and he cursed. We walked around the back and he silently lifted a window. We climbed in after him and he motioned for us to stay where we were.

Channing left the room and I heard him call, "Dad?"

I heard loud footsteps and suddenly Channing cried out. "Dad, dad! It's me!"

A man's voice said, "Channing?"

"Dad," Channing said quietly. "I brought guests."

Channing walked back into the dark room and flipped on the light. He walked in and a tall man followed him. The man looked somewhat like Channing. He had the same dark hair, but his eyes were a deep chocolate brown.

"You brought lots of guests," the man said. He had a Southern accent, like Channing, but his was more obvious.

"Sorry," Channing muttered. "You told me that if I ever left camp, I needed to let you know."

The man nodded. He turned to us and smiled warmly. "I'm Channing's father. It's a pleasure to meet you, all of you," he said.

Channing's father offered us all something to drink and eat, and we accepted.

We sat around a big wooden table and Channing cleared his throat. "Dad, uh, can I have, you know, the book?" he asked.

The Mr. Tenebre smiled. "Still hooked, huh? I'll go get it for you," he said and Channing handed him his backpack.

"Oh Dad!" Channing said, jumping up. "Do you happen to have a satchel?" he asked and winked at me.

The man looked confused for a minute then shook his head. "I thought you were done with your Indiana Jones phase and on to―"

"Yeah, yeah Dad, just wondering. I'll, uh, just go sit now…" Channing put his head against the table as his father strode out of the room.

"I didn't know you could read," Hayden snapped.

"Oh I can read," he said warily. "I'm better than the Athena kids."

Hayden rolled her eyes and Dakota raised an eyebrow. Just as Hayden was about to retort, Channing's father walked back into the room.

"Well Channing, it's all packed up. I even slipped some clean underwear in there for you," he said, patting his son's shoulder. Channing turned bright red and banged his head against the table.

"Thanks, Dad. That, uh, means a lot to me?" His voice sounded unusually high and he was talking in questions.

Mr. Tenebre beamed and then grabbed his car keys. "Where to now?" he asked.

Channing shook his head and said, "We don't need a ride. I can um, travel us from here."

Mr. Tenebre shook his head. "Nope. At least let me get you to the river!"

Channing argued for a minute, but it was obvious that he had lost. We piled into the man's SUV and took off. He wound through the streets of Germantown like it was nothing, swerving to avoid other drivers. I suddenly felt a bit motion sick. Tanner had called shotgun and had earned it by tackling Channing as he tried to get in. I sat in between Channing and Chase in the very back, a very bad place to be.

"Hey Stryker," Chase began.

I dramatically swept my head to look at him, smacking Channing with my hair in the process. "Yes?"

"What's funnier than a dead baby?" Channing asked. Chase was struggling to keep a straight face.

"You two being dead?" I suggested, but Chase shook his head.

"Two dead babies!" they both yelled at the same time.

I rolled my eyes and their grins widened. Tanner turned around from the front seat. "You guys are immature. Death isn't funny," Tanner said. The look on his face told me not to talk back.

Soon we were on the freeway, zipping through traffic. I started to listen to what Channing's father had to say.

"And when Channing was born, he was just the cutest baby. Born a month early, too. He was tiny. Such an adorable little boy. And then when he was seven, he decided I wasn't allowed to cut his hair. He looked like a girl for three months. But when he turned nine, I knew he was something special. He finally got rid of that stupid nightlight." Channing groaned and put his head in his hands.

I turned to Channing. "I thought you were the child of darkness, son of Nyx. You're afraid of the dark?" I said sarcastically.

Channing blushed bright red. "That was when I was nine," he mumbled. "I bet you were afraid of the dark back then too."

"Yeah, but I'm the kid of Iris. I'm more of a rainbow type," I said and smirked. Aidan turned around.

"I for one think that Stryker is right. Only losers are afraid of the dark." Aidan was getting revenge for the Gaelic comment, and Channing wasn't taking it too well.

Channing smiled again when we reached his "favorite" part of town. It was seedy and scary as we drove past East High School.

"The ghetto!" Channing proclaimed and waved to a man who was handing someone a suspicious package.

We zipped through downtown Memphis and stopped in front of a pyramid of all things. I felt weird being next it, like I shouldn't be there. We stepped out of the car and a collective shudder rippled through the group.

"You guys feel it too?" I asked.

Aidan nodded. "I don't belong here. It's hard to decsribe," he said.

Suddenly two kids and a woman sprinted around the street corner. The girl bumped into me and managed to yell, "Sorry!" She had a British accent and I smiled a bit. It felt good to hear the accent again.

The woman gave us a weird look and hissed like a cat. I took a step back and she glared at me before running after the two kids.

Dakota and I shared a mischievous smile before turning and running after them. They had run into an alley, but when we got there, they were gone. The alley was a dead end, and I shuddered. Aidan and Tanner caught up to us and Tanner grabbed my arm roughly. "What in Hades were you thinking?" he yelled.

"I just wanted to see what they were doing," I said softly. Tanner growled and flung my arm down.

"You're so impulsive," he muttered.

"Whatever. Let's just go," Dakota said, trying to keep the peace.

We ran back, and I did my best to ignore Tanner's bad attitude. Aidan and Dakota walked beside each other, talking softly.

When we reached the others, Channing was arguing with his father. "Dad we're wasting time! I need to get us as far west as possible! We have three days!" Channing stomped his foot in frustration.

Mr. Tenebre shook his head. "No. You are thirteen years old, there's no way the I'm letting you go to California by yourself without any adult supervision."

I thought occured to me. "My sister is in college in California. She can meet us there and make sure we're safe!" I knew it was a long shot, and Abby wouldn't want to, but the letter had given me a spot of hope.

Channing's face lit up. "Dad, please? It's already nine here, we have to get going!"

Mr. Tenebre looked around at our pleading faces but his expression didn't change. "No."

Channing suddenly growled. The night got a little darker and Channing's blue eyes turned so dark they looked black. "I'm not a child anymore," he said in a low voice.

His father sighed a little. "I know," he said and his shoulders sagged in defeat. "Go. Just go before I change my mind again."

Mr. Tenebre turned away and wiped a tear from his cheek. He got back in his car and rolled the window down. "Be safe, please," he begged.

Channing's face set strongly. "I will." His expression softened and he took a deep breath. "Dad, I love you."

Mr. Tenebre smiled and said, "I love you too." He put the car in gear and drove off.

Channing closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a minute. "If you tell a soul," he whispered.

Even Hayden didn't say a thing. We stood in front of the pyramid and Tanner shifted his weight. "I don't like this place. Let's just get to the river," he said nervously.

We walked a ways when I heard hissing. I first I thought the crazy lady was back, but this didn't sound feline. I turned around and reached into my pocket to grasp my knife. Aidan and Chase whirled around. Dakota and Hayden yanked out their knives and stood ready. The hissing got louder and Channing pulled out a tiny pocket knife and opened it. A three foot shining black sword grew in his hands. Chase pulled a leather necklace off and it became a bow. Aidan pulled out his flashlight and it became a spear. Tanner touched a black iPod and it grew until he also held a spear.

The hissing suddenly stopped, but huge footsteps echoed off the walls city. People were walking around us, ignoring our weapons. Music blared from clubs and resturaunts and couples walked down the sidewalks. The mortals seemed oblivious to the footsteps.

"The monsters are in the ghetto," Dakota whispered.

Channing raised an eyebrow. "This isn't the ghetto, Dakota. This is downtown."

The hissing started again from behind us and I tensed. We slowly turned around and I saw a huge monster twenty yards away. It had seven heads and scaly green skin. All seven heads were looking in different directions. It was sniffing the air, but didn't see us. Channing motioned for us to stay still. He raised his sword slowly and began walking toward the thing. Aidan and Chase followed him, forming a triangle, with Tanner taking up the rear, making the full shape a diamond.

Hayden shifted close to me. "We need fire," she muttered.

My head snapped up and I reached into my purse. I thought of my lighter and pulled it out. I flicked the lighter and a little flame appeared. Big mistake.

The monster saw the faint glow and hissed loudly, turning all its heads toward me. I almost dropped the lighter but I tossed it to Dakota. I threw my knife just as Chase yelled, "No!"

The knife sailed through the air and cut one of the heads clean off. It fell to the ground with a sickening thud and the green blood dissolved the asphalt. The knife suddenly appeared back in my hand and I gripped it tighter. I was feeling pretty proud until two heads sprouted from the severed neck and screeched at me.

"Bloody hell! What is that?" I cried.

Channing ran back, away from the now furious monster. "That's a Hydra, and you've just pissed it off! You need to burn the stubs before they can grow back!" he yelled over screeching monster.

I snatched the lighter from Dakota. "Channing, cut the heads off and keep it distracted. Give me thirty seconds then attack! Got it?" I yelled over the hissing.

Channing nodded. I ran for the river bank and found a pretty big peice of dry wood. I ran back and saw my friends charging the Hydra. I quickly lit the wood and ran toward them.

"Now!" I yelled. Channing swiftly brought his sword down on one of the heads. I lept into the air, using Chase's back as a spring board. He grunted but otherwise didn't say anything. I hopped onto the Hydra's scaly back and burnt the stub of it's former head. The skin bubbled grotesquely and the smell of burning flesh filled my nose. The Hydra flailed, but I managed to keep a grip on it. Chase shot an arrow at one of the heads and it stuck in the neck. I sawed the head off with my knife. I burnt the stub again, but this time I didn't watch the skin smolder.

Within minutes, however, the wood was burning out. I frantically burnt a neck while the flames lapped at my fingertips. Hayden and Dakota were battling the last head, while Tanner Channing attacked from behind. Chase and Aidan were tormenting the sides.

I knew I had seconds left before the flames consumed my hand, and I could already feel the heat on my fingers. I made a desperate kick at the monster's neck and it turned its head to face me. The yellow eyes were glowing with anger and I screamed as it snapped at my arm. The teeth sunk into my flesh and I saw spots, the pain was so bad. I felt myself slipping and hit the concrete. Dakota grabbed the lighter as Hayden sliced the head off. Tanner held the writhing body down as they burnt the last neck.

Channing and Aidan rushed to my side and Chase poured something over my arm. It was begining to lose feeling and I whimpered as the golden liquid brought the pain back. Tanner wrapped a bandage around it and searing pain shot up my arm. I cried out and felt my mind slipping. I forced myself to stay consious, but it was a struggle.

Hayden knelt beside my head and poured the golden liquid into my mouth. It filled me with warmth and pushed the pain back, but not enough. I saw Dakota out of the corner of my eye. She was pacing next to me, wringing her hands.

"Is she okay?" she asked. Hayden shook her head softly.

"Hydra poison is bad," Hayden said.

I forced my eyes to remain open, but I couldn't feel my arm. I saw Channing leaning over me and I tried to smile but pain shot through me again and I cried out.

"We need help!" Chase said. Channing's face was blank, his blue eyes just staring at me.

"Stryker," Channing said firmly. "You are not going to die on me! You're going to be okay," he said, but his voice wavered as I slowly saw my vision leaving me. Channing grabbed my hand. "Stryker! Stryker listen to me! You're not going to leave me!" His voice softened and a tear fell from his cheek and hit me. "Please don't leave me," he whispered.

But I could feel myself fading. The last thing I saw was a faint golden glow to the left of me and a woman's voice say, "Stand back."

I let my eyes close and my mind faded.

**A/N: Hmmmm...what could Camille Elisabeth do with this?**

**Told you I'd prove Stryker isn't me. Remember those two girls? That's me and my best friend Elise. Pretty awesome, huh? I just couldn't resist. Chub and Tub are nicknames my little sister and I gave each other. She's nine and adorable, yet evil.**

**Did you catch my Red Pyramid reference? I couldn't resist that either. **

**What do you think of Stryker and Channing's relationship? Tell me.**

**Review please. If you haven't already, check out my other stories. Especially "From the Foam of the Sea" and tell me what you think about it. **

**Thanks, darlings. **

**I'm going to sign off a bit differently. I've been listening to waaaay too much Ke$ha, so I'm doing this in honor of her. Don't worry, the psi(****ψ) ****will be back.**

**¢amille eli$abeth**

**ah...that is so weird.**


	7. Chapter Seven: Park City

**A/N: I do not own PJO.**

**Chapter Seven- Stryker**

My eyes fluttered open and I gasped. I sat up quickly and took in my surroundings. I was on a park bench padded with clothes. A beautiful woman sat beside me.

"Ah, you're awake," she said. She smiled and I was filled with warmth. I looked around again. We were next to the Mississippi River, on the Bluff, and I heard jazz music and smelled barbeque. My friends were sprawled out in the early morning sun. None of the boys were wearing shirts and I realized I was using them as a pillow.

The woman spoke again. "Tell me, are you feeling better?" I studied her carefully. She had long flowing golden hair and bright gold eyes. On her head she wore a radiant gold crown. It was braided across her forehead, hippy style. Her dress looked like it was made from liquid sunlight, and the little particles of light flowed down.

I moved my injured arm and it was sore, but otherwise I felt fine. I nodded and the woman smiled warmly again.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The woman patted my head. "I am what you are in right now," she said. "I am the warmth and light."

I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes. "No, really lady. Look I don't have that much time. I have to get to―"

"The House of Thanatos," the woman finished.

"How did you know?" I asked cautiously.

"Because word has spread that the next Great Prophecy was issued to the daughter of a minor goddess. Iris was practically beaming," the woman said.

I sat gaping at this woman. She was a goddess, and I had definately just fed her my angst ridden teenager routine.

"Care to guess? Or shall I just tell you now who I am?" The woman was so radiantly beautiful that it almost hurt to look at. I almost guessed Aphrodite, but something stopped me.

"I don't know my Greek myths well," I said carefully.

The woman shook her head. "Tsk, tsk. It really is a shame. Did your sister not give you that lovely book? Reading is good for you, child."

I just stared at her, my eyes wide and she sighed. "I am Hemera, goddess of the day."

I gaped again and Hemera rolled her golden eyes. "Are we going to stare at me all day, or are you going to listen to my advice?" she said, hitting my arm lightly.

"I, uh, I mean sorry, Lady Hemera," I stammered.

Channing stirred in his sleep. He murmured my name and rolled over. I blushed bright red as the butterflies returned. Hemera smiled and winked at me. "He was so worried last night," she said. "Wouldn't leave your side. You almost died."

I blushed even deeper and Hemera's smile widened. "However, Hayden and Dakota fluttered around too. Dakota was in tears for hours. I told the poor girl you would be fine, but she refused to believe me. She was convinced you were a goner. Which you would have been, except I showed up just in time. What a lucky girl you are."

I looked over at Dakota's sleeping form and she mumbled something about ice. I laughed weakly and stood up. I expected to fall back down, but I managed to stand. I shivered in the morning mist coming off the river.

Hemera stood with me and gestured to the sun. It got a little brighter and the mist cleared. I stopped shivering and warmth replaced the cold. "You said you had advice," I reminded her.

Hemera nodded and cleared her throat. "Now, since you haven't done your reading, I suppose I must fill you in. My mother is Nyx, goddess of the night, and she resides in the Underworld. Since her son is on this quest, I am sure she will help you. However, just in case, I have requested multiple times that she help you, seeing as though my own daughter is also here." Hemera looked at Hayden and smiled softly. "Anyway, I can get you as far as Utah. But past there, Lord Zeus would be angry. He tends to frown upon gods interfering with demigods. But once you get to Utah, I'd recommend 'borrowing' a car and getting to Los Angeles as fast as you can. This is day one, don't waste time." I nodded and she smiled. "You should also get your sister to meet you there. She might have something to interest you."

Hayden stirred and sat up slowly. "Mother?" she called.

Hemera knelt beside her. "I'm here, darling."

Hayden smiled. "I thought you had left," she said.

Hemera shook her head, and her hair bounced around her in thick ringlets. She and Hayden looked so much alike that it was scary.

Hayden stood and hugged me fiercly. "Don't do that to us again," she said.

I managed a smile. "I won't."

Hayden hugged me again and Hemera cleared her throat. "No offense, darlings, but time is of the essence. Wake the others," she said.

Hayden and I set about shaking the boys and Dakota awake. Chase woke up first and smiled at me. Tanner gave me a worried look and shook his head while Aidan hugged me. Dakota cried a little and practically tackled me. Channing was the last to get up and he just stared at me like this was the first time he'd seen me.

Hemera gave Channing a look, but I couldn't tell if it was good or bad. She turned back to me, putting herself between Channing and me.

"Remember what to do," Hemera said and snapped her fingers.

I heard a pop and suddenly we were in the middle of a pile of snow. Channing looked around and growled, "I hate snow."

I looked up and saw mountains all around us. The air was dry and thin here compared to the thick air of Memphis. It was chilly here and I wrapped my arms around me, trying to hold in my body heat. The mountains were green and there were ski slopes crisscrossing the forests. There was still a little snow on them and Dakota squealed in delight.

Tanner and Chase looked behind us into the woods and Tanner bit his lip. "I know this place," he said slowly.

"It's somewhere in Utah right?" I asked.

Tanner nodded. "I used to come here with my mom before she, er, passed. It's a ski town. It's called Park City."

I was curious as to how his mum died, but I didn't ask. "It's so…" I searched for the right word.

Dakota smiled. "Snowy?" She had been picking up handfuls of snow and tossing it above her head.

I shook my head. "No…"

Aidan snapped his fingers. "Quaint!"

I smiled. "Exactly." We looked down at the sleepy town below us.

"There's a Main Street near here. We could grab some breakfast," Tanner suggested.

I dragged Dakota away from the snow and she whimpered. "Just let me build a snowman!" she begged. I relented to her puppy dog face and she smiled widely. Dakota gathered a pile of snow and molded it into three small circles. She piled them on top of each other and held the snowman up proudly.

Channing knocked it over and Dakota got a devestated look on her usually happy face.

Aidan shoved Channing away from the now deseased snowman. He gathered the piles of snow and fixed them back into a crude snowman. Aidan offered it to Dakota and she smiled again.

She took the pile of snow and hugged Aidan with her other arm. Aidan smiled and stuck his tongue out at Channing.

"Irish people are weird," Channing muttered.

Aidan wacked his arm. "American people are weird!"

We started down the ski slope and Hayden sighed. "This is like a metaphor of life," she said.

We all looked at her like she was crazy. "Care to explain?" Tanner asked.

Chase snorted. "I don't think she can."

Hayden rolled her eyes. "Oh course I can!" She thought for a minute. "We're walking down a slope, and it represnts the struggle in life that―"

Channing held up a hand. "Enough. Save it for someone who cares, Hayden."

"Gods, you are just asking to die aren't you?" she snapped.

Channing stopped walking and stepped closer to her. "Maybe I am," he said in a threatening voice.

Hayden growled and the sun burned brighter. "Then bring it," she said.

Chase was about to step in when the sun became dim. When I say dim, I don't mean like a cloud passed over it. It was more like we were in the middle of an eclipse. The sun blinked out for a split second and Hayden gasped.

"You little!" she screamed and tackled Channing. He just pushed her off and stood up calmly. "Fight me!"

"No. I'm sick of you being a crazy little brat. You push me around and think that just because you're a girl that I won't stand up for myself. Well guess what, Hayden? I'm done taking your crap. So shut up, or get the hell away from me," Channing said calmly.

There was a shocked silence as Channing began to walk away. I glanced at Hayden and then back at Channing. Tanner nodded and I ran after the fuming boy.

"Channing," I said when I reached him. He turned to look at me and his eyes were furious.

"I'm sick of her crap! I'm sick of her thinking she can just waltz around, telling me who I am and what I'm worth," Channing said and I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't let her get to you," I said. When I glanced over my shoulder, Tanner and Dakota were trying to comfort an angry Hayden. Chase waved to me and started down toward us.

"Seriously, she's insane man. Don't let her craziness make you so mad," Chase said.

Channing rolled his eyes. "I can't stand her. And she hates me too. I really just want to kick her into next Tuesday, but if I did, I'd look like a jerk."

I sighed as I heard Hayden scream in rage behind us. "She's making herself look like a jerk."

Channing smiled a little, and I punched his arm. "What is up with you? You've been acting funny," I said and he blushed for a split second before getting a confident smirk.

"Hmm, have you ever thought that maybe it's you who's acting funny?" he asked and I rolled my eyes. "You're trippy," he added.

Channing turned around and Hayden stalked down the ski slope and past him. "Are we going to get something to eat or not?" she said as she passed us.

I fell in step with Chase and he smiled at me. He had really pretty green eyes and he caught me staring. "Struck by my beauty?" he asked and smiled.

I blushed and shook my head. "You just have pretty eyes," I admitted.

"Thanks. Your eyes are pretty cool too. The whole shifting colors is more awesome than just green."

I shook my head. "I'd rather have normal eyes."

Chase laughed. "We're talking about eye color?"

I shrugged. "Eyes say a lot about people," I said. I tapped my eyelid. "They're the window to the soul."

Chase smiled at me and said, "Your soul must be extra colorful."

We had reached the bottom of the ski slope and Tanner silently led us to a bus stop.

"The bus system is free," Tanner said and he checked his watch then looked at a sign. I don't know how, but he managed to read it. "We have about a minute until the bus is supposed to get here. But just a warning, Park City is kind of snotty sometimes. Lots of rich people, so just please, behave yourselves."

"If that's possible," Aidan whispered behind Tanner's back.

Tanner whirled around. "I'm serious! I know people who live here!"

Dakota rolled her eyes. "What? Don't want us to embarrass you in front of your rich friends?" she asked.

"They are most definitely not my friends," Tanner growled.

"Do I sense bitter memories?" Aidan asked.

"Very," Tanner mumbled. I was about to ask him what happened, but the bus pulled up. We got on and rode in an awkward silence for a while, interupted only by Hayden's annoyed huffs and sighs.

I sat next to Dakota and we were in the middle of a poke war when the bus stopped and Tanner stood up. We followed him onto Main Street and past closed stores. The only thing open were the art galleries. The little place Tanner had in mind was closed for another hour, but Aidan spoke up.

"Why don't we just, you know, walk around the art galleries? Just to see what we can see," he suggested. Hayden agreed and Channing just shrugged. The rest of us were passive.

The first place we went into was boring, all landscape pictures. The second place was pretty cool, it was filled with abstract paintings. The artist was walking around the gallery, talking to the ritzy looking couples who bothered to get up this early. She gave us a nervous glance.

I found Hayden staring at a white canvas with an orange circle in the bottom left-hand corner. Channing walked up behind me and cocked his head. Dakota twirled in and stopped. Chase, Tanner, and Aidan weren't far behind.

Hayden had one hand on her hip and the other holding her chin. She glanced behind her and nodded at us. "I get it," she said, turning her gaze back to the painting.

"What's to get? It's an orange circle," Chase said.

Hayden rolled her eyes. "It's obviously representing the struggle in the Middle East. Can't you tell? The circle is the countries in the Middle East and the white is America. It's so obvious!"

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Hayden, it's a circle," I said slowly.

She shrugged. "You just don't have the artist's eye then."

We moved on to the third gallery and it was filled with paintings of abstract naked women. We stepped in and immediatly walked back out. But Channing managed to point at one of the paintings and say, "Look, Stryker! It's you!" He smiled brightly and I wacked his arm.

I was ready to give up but Aidan wanted to go into one more, so we did. Paintings and photographs of the most random things hung on the walls. Hayden stood in front of a picture of a kitten. Channing was staring at her with a smirk.

"Stryker? Can you explain this to me? I really don't get it," Hayden said. Her expression was confused, so I knew she was serious, but I couldn't help but smile.

"Um," I struggled to find the right words. "It represents the, er, struggle for inner peace?"

Channing laughed so hard he almost cried, but Hayden nodded like she understood. "Thanks Stryker. I get it now." She smiled and I felt a little bad but Channing was laughing too hard. It felt good to see him laugh again, so it was worth messing with Hayden.

Hayden moved on to the next painting and Channing stood next to me in front of one. It was a photo of a bear catching fish. "What does this one mean?" Channing asked.

I smiled and nudged him. "It represents a bear eating a fish," I said and Channing made his best shocked face.

"You have quite the way with poetry, Stryker," he said and bowed.

Aidan walked by us and said, "No she doesn't." He didn't even stop, but it sent me into a fit of laughter.

Tanner sat moping on a bench. I sat next to him and poked him.

He scooted away and I frowned. "What, do I have cooties?" I asked.

Tanner shook his head. "Can we just go? I really hate this place."

"You mean Park City?"

He nodded.

"Does it have something to do with your mum?" I asked.

Tanner closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "It has everything to do with my mom."

I reached out and touched his hand, but he snatched it away. "I'm sorry, it's not you, really. I just don't want to hurt you," Tanner said.

I felt like there was a lot I didn't know about Tanner. "Walk with me?" I asked. He got up and slowly walked to the door. We sat outside the gallery on a wooden bench.

I was waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. "Tanner," I said.

"Just give me a second," he said.

After about a minute, Tanner finally spoke. "When I was ten, I found out I was a demigod. My mom and I were really close, and she used to take me out here for two weeks every summer, just to get away from things. The summer I was supposed to go to camp, I got scared. I didn't want to go, so I begged my mom to let me stay with her. We came out here, but my powers were just starting to develope. Stryker, if you haven't already guessed, I'm different from other demigods. I'm not completely alive, part of me is dead."

I sat completely still. Tanner glanced over at me. "So my mom and I drove out here from where I lived before, Denver, Colorado. But what I do to living things is bad. Stryker. If I touch something for too long, I literally suck the life out of it. I can't ever have a girlfriend. I can't ever have kids. I can't even have a puppy! Do you have any idea what that can do to a kid?"

I just stared at him. My heart was breaking for him.

"Anyway, my mom and I got out here and she started fading. She couldn't be near me anymore. I was literally killing her. She passed away two days before we were supposed to leave. I was stranded out here and the only people I knew were my cousins. They live up on the mountain," he said, pointing up to a lush mountain with large houses dotting it. "But my mom's brother didn't approve of me. He doesn't know what I am. He just thinks I'm some illegitimate child. My mom's family is extremely rich, but when I was born they kinda kicked her out so to speak. So when she passed away, they saw me as some nuisance that they had to take care of. They shipped me to camp, and I've lived there year-round ever since. I don't have anywhere else to go." Tanner stared at the ground and then looked up at me.

"Tanner, I had no idea," I whispered.

He shook his head. "It's been three years. I'm okay."

I wanted to hug him, but considering his touch was deadly, I opted out. Instead I locked my pinkie around his thumb for a second. Tanner smiled gratefully and was about to say something when Channing and Chase burst out of the gallery followed by an angry Aidan.

"I am not gay!" Aidan shouted.

Channing smiled then saw how serious I looked. "Um, is now not a good time to say I'm hungry?" he asked.

Tanner forced a smile. "Nah, it's fine. Let's go eat."

We all walked to the tiny cafe and ordered a little food. I only had one hundred dollars to get us there and back again, and food here was expensive.

After we ate Dakota pouted. "How are we gonna get to Los Angeles now?" she asked.

"Hemera said we should 'borrow' a car," I said carefully.

Channing got a mischievous smile. "I'm assuming she meant steal. I'm not Hermes camper, but I pride myself on being a close second," Channing said proudly.

"We all know you're a master thief," Hayden said sarcastically.

Channing rolled his head dramatically to face her. "And don't you forget it, babe," he said and she frowned, but didn't say anything more.

Tanner scooped the last bit of cereal from his bowl. "I know where we can get a pretty cool car," he said casually.

Chase leaned forward. "What kind of car are we talking about?" he asked.

Tanner smiled a little. "Only a Porsche," he said, still not looking up.

Aidan choked on his toast. "Don't lie to me," Chase said.

Channing on the other hand was more practical. "We'll never all fit in a Porsche," he said, although he looked pretty miffed about it.

Tanner kept smiling. "I still know how to get a bigger car," he said, finally looking up.

"And how do you plan on getting it?" Aidan asked suspiciously.

Tanner shrugged. "My cousins live up there," he said and pointed to the same mountain. "They're loaded, so I'm fairly sure they wouldn't mind it if we stole just one fancy car."

Channing raised an eyebrow. "How many cars do they have?" he asked.

Tanner shrugged again and said, "Three years ago they had five."

Channing's mouth dropped open. Dakota took the chance to steal his bacon.

We hurridly paid and left, leaving no tip. I felt kind of bad when our waitress looked disapointed, so I ran back and handed her a five. "Sorry, forgot to tip," I said and her smile made my day.

I caught back up with the group and Hayden gave me a look. "We're about to steal a car, and you feel bad about not tipping a waitress?" she said and I felt stupid until Channing stepped in between us.

"Stryker is just a good person, unlike someone," he said, glaring at Hayden.

We kept walking to the bus stop and when we got on Tanner moved us to the very back, away from a family in the front.

"You can't seriously hate him so much just because he's night and you're day," I said to Hayden.

She sighed and glanced over at Channing. He was repeatedly poking Dakota in the sides, causing her to giggle.

"He paid the Hermes cabin to do stuff to me," she said.

"Like what?" I asked as Dakota shrieked.

"Like put all my clothes on the statues in the commons area. Or put my bed at the bottom of the lake. Oh and one time, they put the sun out on my cabin. Took me a week to get it lit again," Hayden said.

"You have a sun on your cabin?"

She nodded. "The Apollo cabin thinks they're the only sun kids, but I'm more sunny than them," Hayden said fiercly.

I scooted away. "Yeah, um, way more sunny."

Hayden smiled. "Thanks, Stryker. I just snapped one day and paid the Hermes cabin double to do the unthinkable. The Stoll brothers took my case personally. They went into Channing's cabin one night and somehow managed to move him into the Aphrodite cabin. By the time he woke up the next day, he looked like a girl. He's tormented me personally ever since."

I couldn't help but laugh. All this time I'd thought Hayden was the bad guy, but Channing had done a lot of crap to her.

Channing plopped down next to me. "Consorting with the enemy?"

I rolled my eyes. "You got what you deserved," I said and nudged him. He scowled. "You face might get stuck that way," I added and he released his frown.

"A few harmless pranks and she overreacts," Channing said.

"You put my underwear on a statue of Artemis!" Hayden cried. "I'm surprised she didn't vaporize you!"

Channing shrugged.

The bus pulled to a stop in front of a huge house. It was made entirely out of glass and sparkled in the morning sun, making little rainbows. I passed my hand through one and it got brighter. I tried grabbing it and it solidified, making a little rainbow stick. I wrapped it around my wrist and tied it off.

All the while, Tanner and Chase had snuck into the house through a window. Why they had windows in an all glass house beats me, but these people were rich, so I guess they can do whatever they want.

When they came back out, we all piled into a black Range Rover. It wasn't flashy, but it was definately pretty nice on the inside.

Chase hopped into the driver's seat. "None of us are old enough to drive," Dakota said.

Chase rolled his eyes. "None of us are old enough to steal either."

Dakota jumped into the passenger seat. "I don't think there's an age limit on stealing," she said.

"Well we're not old enough to travel across America by ourselves. But we're doing it anyway. So toss me the keys," Chase said. Tanner threw the keys from the back and Chase caught them without looking.

I sat next to Channing in the very back and found a road map as Chase pulled out. He was actually a good driver and when I asked, his only reply was that he was good at everything.

Dakota took charge of navigation and soon we were speeding away from the sleepy town.

It was about ten hours from Park City to L.A. and knew I needed to call my sister. None of us had cell phones, and I twisted the rainbow on my wrist. It started to glow and spark. I took it off and stared at the little thing.

"Please say the name of whom you would like to contact," it said.

Channing glanced over at me. "What?"

I held up my tiny little band. "It's talking," I said dumbly.

Channing raised an eyebrow. "Say a name?" he suggested.

"Abby Mensi?" I said. The rainbow expanded into a large flat surface. It shimmered and Abby appeared on the screen. She was sitting in the back of a lecture hall, her head resting in her hands.

"Abby!" I hissed. She jumped and her eyes flew open. She stared wide eyed at me then gathered her hands under her side of the connection. She slung her bag over her shoulder and slipped quietly out of the room. She stood on an empty green lawn and sat down.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Abby asked.

Her orange tan had faded, and she'd changed her bright hair back to its original honey blonde. She actually looked really pretty.

Channing smiled and waved. "It's a toll free Iris message," he said. "I guess you're our little telephone now," he added, poking me.

From the front, Tanner started singing Lady Gaga.

"It's a demigod thing," Channing added.

Abby nodded. "Stryker, are you okay? Are you safe?" she asked.

I sighed. "Yeah I'm fine. Listen, I'm on my way to Los Angeles. Is there anyway you can meet me somewhere?" I asked.

Her eyes got wide, but she nodded again. "Look, I have to get back to class. Call me on this thing again in," she check her watch, "three hours, okay?"

I smiled gratefully. "Will do."

Abby gave me a radiant smile. "Love you," she said and my smile grew.

"Love you too. See you soon," I said. A man walked into the background and Abby looked nervously behind her. Channing waved his hand over the screen and it shrunk back to my bracelet.

"Your sister is hot," Channing said.

"Shut up. Chase, step on it," I said.

Chase floored it and we sped down the highway. We were going at least eighty miles per hour, straight to the pits of hell.

**A/N: Okay. I go to Park City, Utah every summer and I couldn't resist putting it in there.**

**Poor Tanner. I feel like a dirt bag, but hey, life isn't perfect.**

**Okay. Stryker and Channing? Do you like them? Tell me what you think.**

**See any other couples? Let me know!**

**Alright, in case you didn't already know, I'm in marching band. Color guard to be exact. This week is band camp, so I might be a bit slow with this story.**

**As always, check out my story "From the Foam of the Sea" and let me know what you think of it.**

**Review please.**

**Thanks, darlings.**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	8. Chapter Eight: Abby

**A/N: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. **

**Chapter Eight- Stryker**

I slept for the first hour, and when I woke up, I was leaning on Channing's sleeping form.

Chase had pulled over and was rubbing his temples. Dakota was out of the car pointing to a sign. No one else was in the car and I woke Channing up. We climbed out and looked at the sign. It took me a while to read, but I eventually figured it out. It said, "Beaver Creek Nudist Ranch."

Channing and Tanner tried to walk down the street into the ranch, but Hayden caught them both.

Chase kept driving until we got to a gas station. "Does anyone have to go to the bathroom?" he asked.

None of us did at the time, but five minutes later Aidan said, "Chase! I have to pee!"

Chase pulled over at the grossest place he could find and Aidan got out.

When he got back, he looked terrified. "Somethings you can never unsee," he said when Dakota asked him.

Two hours later, I called Abby. "Stryker!" she cried when the line connected. She was sitting in a dorm room, writing. She paused and gave me a funny look. "When you get here, I'm brushing your hair."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Go for it." Abby and I argreed to meet on the UCLA campus. She gave me her dorm number, and attempted to hug me through the connection. It failed, but I was still touched. Metaphorically of course.

When I waved my hand through the mist and my bracelet returned, Channing smirked. "You guys look alike," he said. "Except your eyes. Hers are a lovely poop color."

I wacked his arm. "She's really pretty. And her eyes aren't just brown, they're chocolate brown. Duh, big difference," I said.

"You would be the one to get mad about colors," Hayden said and I shrugged.

"It's not blue, it's periwinkle!" Channing squeaked in a high voice.

"Exactly. Glad you see it my way," I said and he smiled a little.

Tanner offered to take the wheel by the fourth hour, but Chase glared back at him. "Are you questioning my mad skills?" he asked.

Tanner shrugged. "Eyes on the road, victory boy," he said just as Chase swerved to avoid an oncoming eighteen wheeler.

Chase did a good job, but his driving scared me. He never went below eighty miles per hour. Channing got bored, and resorted to begging for music. Aidan hurridly agreed and Tanner passed up his iPod. Unfortunately the only thing Dakota would listen to was

Ke$ha. Even more unfortunately, Aidan and Channing knew all of Ke$ha's songs by heart. Aidan's accent made Ke$ha's songs sound like Irish folk songs.

Aidan was an amazing singer, but mixed with Channing's voice in the background, it was bad.

Channing took a solo in the middle of Your Love is my Drug, and sang it to Tanner. "Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement?" he sang, and Tanner gave him a grin.

"Why, yes, yes I do." Tanner winked and Channing made a suggestive face.

I scooted away and Aidan threw his hands up in frustration. "And you call me gay!" he cried.

Chase nodded. "You just scream gay."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

Chase smirked at what he had done as Aidan groaned.

By the time Blah Blah Blah came on, Channing was in a full fledged singing mode. "Stryker, do you honestly think you'll be gettin' this in the back of my car?" he said, puffing out his chest.

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Too bad you don't have a car."

Channing shrugged. "You still wouldn't be getting this."

Tanner turned around. "Yeah she would," he said under his breath. Channing blushed bright red and I punched Tanner's arm.

Another hour passed and Dakota woke up from her nap. I didn't see how she could sleep through our concert, but she managed.

She tugged out the road map and sighed. "Five more hours," she said.

Hayden groaned. "Drive faster," she demanded.

I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, Tanner was driving. He was pretty bad, but thankfully no one else was on the road. I looked at the clock. We had left Park City at around nine in the morning. It was about three thirty, two and a half more hours.

I was staring out the window when I felt Channing lean against me in his sleep. He mumbled something that sounded like Shakespeare.

His bag had turned over and a book was on the floor. I picked it up and read the cover. It was pretty thick, and it took me a minute to figure out the words. "The Best of Shakespeare" was printed on the cover and I smiled a little. I opened the book to the marked page. Channing was in the middle of reading Romeo and Juliet.

I smiled even wider and turned to look at the sleeping boy next to me. His eyes were closed and he muttered something again.

Certain lines were highlighted.

_But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!_

I smiled and ran my fingers over the page. We hit a bump in the road and Channing woke up.

"Hmmm?" he said as his eyes fluttered open. He saw what I was reading and snatched it away. "Summer reading," he mumbled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

Channing slipped the book back in his bag. He scooted away from me but kept his hand next to mine. He looked around to make sure no one else was awake. "I like Shakespeare, okay," he said quietly so that Tanner wouldn't hear him.

"Shakespeare is a classic. You shouldn't be upset about it," I said.

Channing shook his head. "I'm not. But if the other guys see me reading it, they'd torment me to no end. And if Hayden found out..." He shuddered and gave me a pleading look. "Just don't tell anyone, please?"

I nodded. "Don't worry, I won't. But can I ask why you love Shakespeare so much?"

Channing blushed but he shrugged. "It's…romantic," he said slowly.

A smile spread across my lips. "You're a secret romantic!" I whispered.

His blush deepened but he nodded. "Stryker please don't tell anyone," he begged.

"Channing, I already said I won't. I pinkie swear," I said and held out my pinkie. Channing locked his around mine and stared at me.

Channing's eyes had never really stood out, but now they fascinated me. They were deep blue and had little flecks of silver in them. His shaggy dark hair was uncombed, but somehow still managed to fall in just the right way. I felt the butterflies again and pressed them back.

Channing just stared back at me, probably thinking that my hair was out of control.

Finally Tanner cleared his throat. "You guys gonna stare at each other for an hour?" he asked from the driver's seat.

I blinked and released his pinkie, but Channing pulled my hand into his. I blushed, and he said, "Nah, we're done."

Tanner shrugged and turned back to the road.

Channing kept my hand in his for a while, but I fell asleep again. Whatever Hemera did to me was making me exhausted.

When I woke up, we were driving slowly onto the UCLA campus. Channing still had my hand. Chase had taken the wheel again and Dakota was reading a map upside down.

She smiled proudly and said, "See, I told you we'd get here!"

Aidan was looking out the window. "Look!" he exclaimed and pointed to a group of girls. "They're so hot!"

"You're trying to hard to be straight, man," Tanner said.

Aidan sighed. "I do think they're pretty," he said softly. I glanced at the girls and realized one was Abby.

"Stop!" I yelled and Chase slammed on the brakes. I climbed over the seats and pushed the door open. "Abby!" I yelled as I ran to her.

Abby's friends all looked at me with wide eyes. "She's like a mini Abby!" one of them whispered.

Abby turned around. "Nah, she looks more like her mum," she said and winked at me.

My eyes widened. "You saw Iris?" I gasped.

Abby got a nervous look on her face. "Er, no, but I've seen pictures," she lied. We didn't have any pictures of Iris.

Abby waved goodbye to her friends and I led her to the car. Tanner and Aidan had moved to the backseat and Abby and I squeazed in next to Hayden. Abby looked at Chase and arched her eyebrow.

"Aren't you a little young to be driving?" she asked.

Chase shrugged. "Isn't it a little summery to be at school?"

Abby nodded. "I take summer courses so I can graduate early," she said. "David wants to get married."

I caught my breath. "Who the bloody hell is David?" I asked.

"My, er, boyfriend. I didn't tell you or Dad because I was afraid about how you'd react," Abby said nervously.

"What's he like?" Dakota asked from the front seat.

Abby frowned. "He's protective."

I didn't like this. Abby couldn't keep a secret to save her life, and she would have told us about David. Unless he told her not to.

Abby let the subject drop and looked around at my friends. Channing leaned forward as Abby directed Chase to her dorm. "So you got a date to prom?" he asked and wiggled his eyebrows.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Prom was last year, kiddo."

"How old are you?" Aidan asked. Abby smiled at him, most likely because of his accent.

"Aww! You're Irish!" she exclaimed and pinched his cheek.

Aidan smiled. "And you're British," he said.

Abby obviously thought he was awesome and Channing groaned. "Why do girls like you so much?"

Aidan smirked. "Because my accent is ridiculously awesome."

Channing wacked him upside the head and Aidan punched his arm. "Anyway, Abby. Are you a freshman?" Aidan asked.

Abby nodded and smiled again. "Stryker you really should go to college out here," she said. "It's amazing."

Within five minutes Chase pulled in front of the dorms. He parallel parked, just to show Abby who was boss, and jumped out.

Abby led us up to her dorm and unlocked the door. She turned around once we were all in. "Now spill," she commanded.

As I explained our story, Abby ran a brush through my hair. When I told her how I'd been hurt pretty bad from the Hydra, her brown eyes widened. She hit my arm lightly with the brush. "Be more careful!" she cried.

I stood by Channing when Abby finished detangling my hair. Channing was leaning against Abby's desk and he put his arm behind me casually.

Abby smiled at this, but didn't say anything. "So tell me about David," I said.

Her pretty face got dark. "He's a senior. He was actually supposed to come over today, but I told him I needed to meet up with you. He wasn't too happy about that, but he'll get over it."

I started to get worried and stood up straight. "Abby, I don't like how this guy―"

I was interupted by a loud knock on the door. A man's voice yelled, "Abby, open the door!"

Abby crindged and gingerly opened the door. The man stepped in and glared at us. He had a buzz cut and his hair was a dirty blonde color. He wore a stained white shirt and ripped jeans. "Who are you?" he asked.

I stepped toward him and glared up. "I'm Stryker. And who are you?"

The man snorted. "At least you didn't tell 'em, Abby. I'm David."

I wanted to run him through, but Abby pulled me back. "I told you I had to see my sister today," she said.

David rolled his eyes. "You do what I say, not what you want," he said sourly.

My blood boiled. "Don't you dare tell my sister what to do!" I yelled. Abby put herself between David and me.

"David, she didn't mean that!" Abby cried, but it was too late. David shoved her tiny body out of the way and stood over me.

"Say that again punk," he growled. His breath smelled like whiskey and I snarled.

"Back off, you little twit! My sister deserves better than you!" I yelled. The room was silent until Channing tried to pull me back. I shook his hand off and David laughed.

"I deserve better than your sister," David said.

I got so mad that I screamed. I felt my fist flying through the air, but I was to mad to see anything. When my fist hit David, he stumbled backwards. I had managed to punch him in the nose and it began to bleed. "Screw you!" I yelled.

David grabbed at me and took hold of my hair. "I'm gonna kill you, brat," he growled.

Abby slapped him as hard as she could. "Let go!" she commanded when he grabbed her arm.

David hit her across the face. Channing and Aidan tackled him and I rushed over to Abby.

She sat on the ground in shock. "He never hits that hard," she mumbled. I wrapped my arms around her and she started to cry.

"Abby, it's okay," I whispered. She whimpered as Chase kicked David in the stomach.

David got up and glared at me. "Touch my sister again, and I'll kill you," I growled. David spat at us, but missed.

He stalked away and mumbled something about meddling kids.

"Call the police," Hayden said.

Abby shook my head. "I'll do that after you leave," she said. She seemed more in control.

"Abby," Aidan said, "has he hit you before?"

Abby got an ashamed look on her face. She nodded miserably and stood. "Thanks, guys." She made an excuse about class and left us in her dorm.

About an hour passed and I realized everyone was asleep. I curled up next to the desk, but I'd slept so much today that it was impossible for me to be tired. Chase woke up and yawned. He nodded at me and scooted over to sit next to me.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I thought she was stronger than that," I whispered.

Chase shook his head. "She was. He just had her in a state of fear. She'll be okay."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, bud. I think we just need to get there and back. It's seriously freaking me out. I don't want to do this anymore," I said and felt like crying, but I'm really not a crier.

Chase sighed. "Look, you have to. Thanatos probably has some horrible plan to unleash zombies upon the world. We're all doomed if you don't succeed. No pressure or anything." He winked and lightly punched my arm.

I smiled a tiny bit and bit my lip. "Do you think we can do it?" I asked.

Chase shrugged. "You've got me. I can do anything," he said proudly.

I laughed, which of course woke Aidan. "Hmmm?" he mumbled and sat up.

"Nothing, go back to sleep," Chase said.

Aidan shook his head. "Can we do something until Abby gets back? Like maybe watch a movie or something?" he asked.

I shrugged. Hayden was lying next to the TV and she woke up when I tripped over her and landed gracefully on my face. The thump woke up Tanner and Channing, whose complaints woke Dakota. Now we had seven grumpy demigods who were sick of each others company. The only cure? An inaccurate Disney movie about our parents.

Channing finally got the DVD player working and Hercules started. We watched it, sort of. Most of the time we were talking about the mistakes in it. For instance, I'm fairly sure Hades doesn't have flaming blue hair, but we were about to find out. Channing asked if all the gods were funny colors and if Hera was really his mother. Tanner glanced nervously out the window.

"Let's not talk about Lady Hera," he suggested.

Aidan knew all the songs, of course, and he adored the Muses. "They've got such personality and pizzaz!" he gushed. "Just look at those jazz hands!"

Tanner shot him a look. "Seriously, man? You're only proving us more right," he said and Aidan blushed.

Channing was sitting in between Tanner and Hayden, and let me tell you, Hayden was not happy about that. Everytime Channing said something, Hayden would shoot him down. I knew what he did to her wasn't cool, but she was seriously taking it too far.

I grabbed Channing and pulled him outside. The bright sun blinded me after being in that dark dorm for so long.

"Okay, what else did you do to her?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

Channing sighed. "She had a crush on me," he said with defeat.

I just laughed. "I knew I was right!"

"No, you weren't right. I didn't like her back, and I wanted her to leave me alone. What was I supposed to do? Let her confess her love to me and expect me to be happy? No way. So I was a total jerk to her. But she still wouldn't leave me alone, so I told her that I thought she was ugly and that she was weird," Channing said and crossed his arms.

I slapped his arm as hard as I could.

"Ow!" he cried. "What was that for?"

"For being a total tool!" I yelled.

"Oh, I'm not just a tool. I'm the hammer," Channing said and poked my arm.

I rolled my eyes. "Channing, no wonder she hates you so much!"

"She got over me! She's obviously obsessed with Tanner now," Channing said with disgust.

"Do I detect jealousy?" I said, and he shrugged.

"Why would I be jealous?" he asked, stepping closer.

I backed up, but he grabbed my arm. I took a breath as the butterflies returned. "Because you like being the center of attention," I said.

"Do not. You want attention more than I do!" he yelled.

I stomped my foot. "What makes you think that?"

Channing picked up a strand of green hair. "You dye your hair these crazy colors, and it just screams 'wannabe rebel' and you act like it works for you. It totally does, but still!"

"What the Hades are you talking about?" I yelled.

Channing shrugged. "I just complimented you," he said.

"I don't want your compliments," I said, trying to break free of his grasp.

Channing shook his head. "Yes you do. I know you feel something, Stryker. I know I do," he said slowly.

I glared at him. "If I told you I did, you would call me ugly and weird and then pay the Hermes cabin to prank me!" I screamed.

"Nah, you're not ugly. And just because you're a little weird doesn't mean I don't feel something too," Channing said and pulled me closer.

"Channing stop! You wanna know why I'm so mad at you?" I said, lowering my voice since people were starting to stare.

Channing shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."

I sighed. "All this time, you had me believing that Hayden was the bad guy, and you were the innocent one. Turns out you were a jerk to her!" I said.

Channing smiled. "I was saving up for someone else."

I shook my head. "Keep looking, Channing. I'm not her," I said softly, even though it killed me to say it.

Channing's face dropped. I cursed myself for saying that. His sad face looked more like a beaten puppy than anything. "Look, Channing, it's just that we're on a quest to save the world right now, and romance would be a distraction," I said quickly.

Channing nodded. "No, I get it. I'm not good enough for you," he said and sighed. He looked at me through his lashes.

My heart almost broke in half and I shook my head rapidly. "No! Channing really, I would but, honestly, it's pretty bad timing."

Channing brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "We could die tomorrow," he whispered.

"Someone's optimistic," I muttered.

Channing smiled a little, but continued talking. "There's no time like the present."

I shook my head. "Channing―"

He put his hand over my mouth. "You might ruin this moment if you talk. I promise I would never hurt you."

I couldn't really speak, but Channing was having the time of his life.

Channing pulled me closer and leaned his forehead on mine. We were so close, I could feel his warm breath on my face. I tried to keep my breathing even, but my heart was beating too fast. Channing looked nervous, but my slow mind couldn't figure out why. Channing took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I felt his lips brush mine, but just as he was about to kiss me, Chase ran out of the dorm.

He raised an eyebrow and shifted awkwardly. Channing cursed softly and put two hands on either side of my face. He pulled closer, but then decided against it. He sighed then turned to Chase.

"What? What could you possibly want that's more important than what I'm doing right now?" Channing asked harshly.

Chase cleared his throat. "Um, the movie's done," he said. "And, er, Dakota said she's hungry, so I'm thinking we should―" I held up a hand and cut him off.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's just wait for Abby. I think she should be back soon," I said hopefully.

Chase nodded and looked at Channing funny. Channing glared at him and stalked off.

I wanted to follow him, but just then Abby walked up. She almost seemed to pop out of nowhere, but then again, I was in my own little world. She raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed.

"You'll tell me later," she said confidently and Chase shrugged.

"You probably don't want to know," Chase said and smirked.

Abby shuddered. "Stryker, what did you do?" she asked carefully.

I shook my head. "Nothing!"

Abby raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Chase and I followed Abby back to her dorm and found Tanner, Dakota, and Hayden sitting quietly in a corner. Aidan was on another side, cursing at the DVD player in some langauge I didn't recognize. His accent was becoming much more thick, and his face was flushed.

Hayden nodded at me and Dakota flashed a bright smile. However, Tanner didn't look so great. He was paler than usual and had a strange look on his face.

I asked him about it, but he shrugged it off. Tanner sucked in a sharp breath and put a hand to his head. "So many people," he muttered.

I shook the bad feeling away, and went to find Channing while everyone else followed Abby to some resturaunt.

I walked around the college grounds for about an hour before I saw him. Channing was sitting under a willow tree staring up into the branches. I approached him, but he didn't notice me.

I heard a feminine voice came from the branches above him. "Well, you see, she seems to like you, but she seems confused," the girl said.

Channing sighed. "She acts like she doesn't care and when I almost kissed her, she didn't follow me when I walked off."

The voice giggled. A small girl dropped out of the trees and landing gracefully next to Channing. She was wearing a green dress and had long auburn hair. It was extremely curly and she had it pulled back into a long braid. Her skin was darkly tanned and she had freckles across her face and shoulders.

Her face was elfish and her smile was mischievous. Channing looked at her miserably and frowned.

I hid behind the tree and listened to their voices. Channing said, "Willow, why is this becoming a habit for me?"

The girl giggled again. "Because you're a player?" she suggested.

Channing sat in silence for a moment and then I heard him getting up. I tried to keep out of his sight, but the girl saw me.

"Stryker!" she cried and threw her arms around me. I tried to push her off, but she wouldn't let go.

"Um, who are you?" I asked.

She mumbled something into my hair and I finally broke her death grip on me.

"Come again?" I said.

She gave me a toothy grin and said, "I'm Willow! Don't you recognize me?" Her face grew disapointed when I shook my head. "Oh. I guess not. We dryads aren't very important at camp," she said sadly.

"I, uh, don't know. And how did you get here?" I asked.

Willow's face brightened. "My friend's letting me borrow her tree while she's off with some satyr for the day. So I got myself here," she said happily.

I shrugged and Willow hugged me again. "I kept seeing you around camp and I just knew we would be best friends!" she cried.

"Channing!" I gasped, trying to breath with a dryad attached to me. "Get her off!"

Channing rested a hand on Willow's shoulder and she let go. She let out a giggle and stepped back.

I glanced awkwardly at Channing and he was blushing deep red. He was looking at his feet and Willow poked him.

"Well I can see I'm now a third wheel, so back to camp! Peace out, girl scout!" she said and smiled brightly before melting in the the willow tree.

"Interesting girl," I mumbled.

Channing nodded. "She's extremely happy," he said slowly. "Willow also has it in her head that you two are going to be best friends one day. She says she can just tell."

I raised an eyebrow and Channing smiled. He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "So about earlier," he began. I blushed deeply and his smile widened. "I'm sorry we didn't get to finish," he whispered and took a step closer.

I bit my lip. The butterflies were having a party inside me and it was hard to keep from shaking. "Uh, me too," I said.

Channing smiled at my nervousness as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He pulled me close to him and rested his head in my neck.

"I can feel you shaking," he whispered into my hair.

"I'm just cold," I lied.

Channing had moved his head to my neck again and I felt him smile against my skin. "It's summer," he mumbled.

I gasped lightly when I felt his lips press against my collarbone. Channing slowly moved his head upward and pressed his forehead against mine.

"The sun is going down," I managed. "It's getting cold."

Channing laughed and his warm breath spread across my face. "You're nervous," he whispered and closed his eyes.

I bit my lip as he ran his hand through my hair. He leaned in and brushed his lips quickly over mine.

I tangled my hands in his hair and my breathing became ragged.

Channing opened his eyes and smiled at me. "Still think you're not the one?" he whispered.

My head was spinning and he pulled my body even closer to him. I shook my head slightly and Channing's smile grew. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my cheek and his fingers laced in mine.

"What are you doing?" I asked breathlessly as he traced patterns on my back with his fingers.

Channing shrugged and smiled. "Driving you crazy," he whispered.

He leaned in painfully slow but just as our lips touched, something growled from the shadow of the tree. Channing sighed and lingering for a split second against my lips. He turned and faced the shadow, pulling out his pocket knife. I let his hand drop as he opened it and it became a gleaming black sword. I reached for my knife, but it wasn't there.

A huge dog crawled out of the shadow and barked fiercly. It was pure black and had fangs the size of my hand and glowing red eyes. The thing was the size of a rhino and its dense black fur was caked with blood.

I looked around desperately for my purse, but I had left it sitting in the dorm. The dog's gaze zeroed in on Channing and it pounced. Channing stabbed at it, but missed. As he wrestled with the dog, I tried to find anything that could help.

I felt my bracelet get warmer, then hot. It started to burn my skin and I took it off. It grew into a dagger and I cocked an eyebrow. A rainbow knife wasn't that intimidating, but it was a weapon.

I whistled and the dog turned it's gaze on me. I gulped down my fear and charged it. I needed to get in close enough so that I could get my knife back. I didn't know if this knife would return to me, but I was desperate.

At the last minute, I tuck and rolled under the dogs belly and stabbed upward. The dog howled in pain. Unfortunately, I was still under it when it layed down. The weight of it should have crushed me, but for some reason it didn't. Then I realized it was dissolving. Black sand fell on me and I shook it off. My dagger was sparking under a pile of dust. Channing picked it up by the blade and yelped. He threw it down and shook his hand out.

"It burned me," he said and crindged.

I picked it up cautiously by the hilt and it felt warm, but not hot. It was still sparking, and I touched the tip. It was scalding hot. I hissed in pain and put my finger in my mouth.

Channing folded the tip of his sword down like a knife. It returned to the tiny pocket knife.

I searched my knife for some way to turn it back into my bracelet. I pressed the bottom of the hilt and it shrank down into a solid rainbow again. I tied it off around my wrist and it began to cool down.

There was an awkward silence as I stared at the ground. When I glanced up, Channing was staring at me.

"That was fun," he finally said after a long silence.

I shrugged. "I've been more entertained."

Channing smiled a little and kicked the remaining dust up.

I sat under the tree and leaned my head back against the rough bark. Channing sat across from me and bit his lip.

"What now?" he asked.

I shrugged. "We should go back to the dorm and wait for everyone else."

Channing sighed and stood up. He offered me his hand and pulled me up. He wrapped an arm around my waist and we walked back to the dorm in silence.

When we got back, Channing flipped on the light and I went to sit on Abby's bed. He decided he desperately needed a shower, and shuffled into the bathroom.

I layed back and closed my eyes. I wasn't tired, but I needed to relax.

Five minutes later, Channing came out with wet hair. He shook it out, sending water droplets everywhere. He had pulled on a new T-shirt and actually looked nice. I was surprised to see him so clean and he cocked an eyebrow at me when he caught me staring.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

Channing shrugged and sat down next to me. I suddenly decided a shower would be a lovely idea. Channing looked a little disapointed but I got up anyway.

I took a fast shower, only five minutes, but the hot water was enough to relax me. I got out and ran a comb through my hair. I put the one other T-shirt I had on and pulled my shorts on as well.

I sat back down next to Channing. Abby's bed was pressed against the wall, so I leaned on it. Channing laced his fingers through mine.

"Where are we?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "California."

Channing shook his head. "No, where are we in terms of our relationship?"

I blushed. "Oh, uh―"

Before I could finish, Aidan burst in the dorm. He was soon followed by everyone else.

Abby was carrying a pizza box. "We got a take out," she said. "The resturaunt was so crowded."

I nodded and got up. We all ate and talked. Channing told them about the dog, but he called it a hellhound.

Abby glanced at me with a concerned look, but didn't say anything. Channing left out the part about almost kissing.

We soon spread out to do our own things. Channing sat in a corner with a notebook and began writing. Abby sat at her desk and worked on homework, I guess. Aidan and Dakota sat on the bed and talked. Tanner and Hayden listened to Tanner's iPod. Chase pulled a random book off the shelf and began reading.

I sat in a corner and rested my head on my knees. I let my mind wander. I thought a lot about Channing. I thought about the way we'd almost kissed twice and how he kept throwing glances at me.

Eventually I must have dosed off. I woke up to a completely dark room. A blanket and pillow had been layed next to me and I layed down. My hand touched something soft and I looked over. Channing was sleeping peacefully next to me. He was breathing lightly and had one hand extended towards me.

I scooted closer to him and rested my head on my pillow. Channing was a light sleeper, apparently, and his eyes fluttered open when my hand touched his.

"Hmm?" he mumbled.

"Shh. Go back to sleep," I whispered. Channing smiled and scooted closer to me.

"You should sleep too," he whispered.

I stifled a yawn and smiled. "I was trying to until you woke up."

Channing smiled. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Goodnight," I whispered and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, Britain," I heard him whisper.

It took me a short time to fall asleep, but my dreams took me far away.

**A/N: Dang, that was long.**

**I thought I'd throw in some romance.**

**Awww! Channing likes Shakespeare! How adorable.**

**What do you think of Stryker and Channing as a couple? See any other pairings? Let me know by reviewing!**

**I'd like to say I have the next five or so chapters written out, but you guys have sucked me dry. I'm working on chapter nine, but it's gonna be awhile.**

**Thanks so much for all your reviews and for all of those who have favorited this story or followed it or, Olympus forbid, followed me as an author. I really appreciate that, but for those who liked this story and haven't reviewed, please review. I'd really appreciate that even more.**

**Thanks so much!**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	9. Chapter Nine: We Meet Some Gods

**A/N: I do not own PJO.**

**Sorry it took so long to update, I was running low on inspiration. **

**Without further ado, I give you...**

**Chapter Nine- Stryker**

I was deep in a cave and the air was freezing. I felt ice creeping around me and a cold hand on my neck.

The fingers were long and stark white. I felt another hand clamp over my mouth. I struggled against the hands, but they only held on to me tighter.

A voice hissed, "You can't stop me. I've already sent someone to take over your little camp!"

I yelled into the hands and thrashed about, but I felt a leg kick me. I thrust my elbows back and hit something hard.

"Don't worry, half-blood. The trees can't help you now!" the voice screeched. With one final kick, my dream shifted.

I was at camp, but I was tied to the pine tree on Half Blood-Hill. The woods were on fire and I saw Willow clinging to a tree as some humanoid figure stabbed her. She screamed and I woke with a start.

I realized I had been crying, and I looked around the room. It was still dark and the clock on Abby's desk said four-thirty.

Channing stirred and sat up. I had worked my way into a corner and he scooted next to me.

Channing rubbed away a tear with his thumb and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

I stood up and carefully stepped out of the dorm. Channing followed me and sat next to me when we reached the soft grass.

"My dreams were bad," I whispered.

Channing put his arm around my shoulders again and I leaned my head on him.

"It was just a dream," he said.

I had stopped crying, but I was still frazzled and I bit my lip.

Channing leaned closer to me. "I'm kind of scared to try this again," he admitted.

I laughed a little. "It seems like the universe is out to get us," I said and leaned my forehead on his.

Channing smiled and kissed my cheek. His fingers laced in mine and his other hand wrapped around my waist.

"To be honest," he said, "I'm thinking we're cursed."

I laughed lightly and Channing sighed. I cocked my head to the side. "What is it?" I asked.

"Tomorrow we barge into the Underworld and there's a major possibility that we could die in the process. I haven't kissed you yet, and I might never get the chance," Channing said quietly.

He leaned closer to me so that just our lips remained apart. "Channing, please. Just wait until we get to the Underworld," I begged.

Channing gazed at me and sighed. His hot breath cascaded over my face and he closed his eyes. "Why?" he asked.

I bit my lip. "Because I asked you to. And because there's no way we are going to die," I said firmly.

Channing touched my cheek and leaned closer. At first I thought he was going to kiss me, but he just pecked me lightly on the cheek before pulling away.

"You make me happy," he whispered.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Cheesy much?" I joked.

Channing regained his smirk and nudged me. "I read Shakespeare, okay. But I can't put things I think into words. If I could, there would be too much for me to say," he said and took my hand. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Stryker is the sun!" he said dramatically.

I smiled little and squeezed his hand. "Aidan would be jealous," I whispered.

Channing blushed. "It's easier to quote things."

I smiled and stifled a yawn.

Channing stood slowly and offered me his hand. He pulled me up and we walked back to the dorm in silence.

I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up, Hayden was pacing the room, looking nervous.

"Stryker, good, you're awake!" she said and let out a sigh. I looked around and noticed no one else was in the room.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"They're arguing like children outside. Channing is just being a tool again," she said crossly.

I got up and stretched. My back popped and Hayden winced.

"Doesn't that hurt?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Not really."

Hayden bit her lip and glanced out the window. "We seriously need to break up that fight," she said slowly.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What are they arguing about?" I asked. Hayden shrugged and I pushed the door open hitting Tanner in the face.

"Ow!" he cried.

I mumbled an apology and stepped outside. Channing was arguing with Aidan and Dakota stood helplessly between them. Chase was resting under a tree and Tanner had joined him.

Hayden rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Gimme ten seconds and I can break this fight up."

I shrugged and Hayden smiled wickedly. She strode over to Channing, but he didn't glance at her. She walked behind him and grabbed his shoulder. She squeezed and Channing cried out and fell to the ground. Hayden kicked his shin and he got up. She merely cracked her knuckles. I saw what was going to happen before Channing did. Hayden drew her fist back and thrust it forward, clocking Channing square in the nose.

"That's for calling me ugly!" Hayden screamed as Channing cursed. Blood was gushing from his nose. I ran to him and pushed the two apart.

"Enough!" I yelled. "You're both being children!"

Hayden stuck her nose in the air and huffed. Channing pushed her down and tackled her. Chase jumped up and tried to intervene, but Hayden rolled over and was on top. She clawed at Channing's face and he batted her hands away, grabbing her wrists.

"You never could beat me," he growled and she roared in anger.

"Channing Tenebre, I'm going to kill you!" Hayden screamed as Channing pinned her underneath him.

Abby ran up and put her hands on her hips. She pried Channing of Hayden but Channing was still breathing heavily and glaring at Hayden.

The sun was burning hot and I could have sworn steam was rising from Hayden. Channing wiped sweat from his brow.

"So you think making the sun brighter will make me weaker?" he growled.

Hayden, who until then had been looking smug, suddenly looked a little worried.

Channing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was suddenly very cold and I could see my breath. The sun dimmed and suddenly, though it was a cloudless day, it blinked out. For two seconds we stood in darkness. Hayden screamed and attempted to tackled Channing, but Tanner and Dakota held her back. Aidan and Chase held Channing, but he wasn't struggling.

It got warm again and Abby stared at us in disbelief. A form shimmered next to her. We shielded our eyes once the light got intensely bright.

Next to Abby stood the most gorgeous guy to have ever walked the face of the earth. My jaw dropped and Abby looked like she was about to pass out.

His face was unhappy though, and it was focused on Channing.

"Were you just messing with the sun?" he asked angrily.

Channing's eyes got wide. "No, sir!" he said quickly. I didn't know why Channing seemed scared of the boy, because he couldn't have been more than a few years older than us.

The boy glared at him. "Don't you lie to me, boy, I'm the god of truth!" the boy yelled.

I didn't know who in Hades the god of truth was, but the way Channing was quivering like a kicked puppy wasn't a good sign.

The boy poked Channing's chest and Channing winced. "I'm sorry, Lord Apollo!" he cried.

I raised an eyebrow and stifled a gasp. This boy couldn't seriously be Apollo. He looked about Abby's age, eighteen or nineteen. He had stiking eyes, blue as the sky, and shaggy blonde hair. Hayden gravitated toward him and smiled.

The boy continued to glare at Channing. "That is a serious offense," he said harshly, but his face suddenly changed. Instead of looking angry, his muscles relaxed and a smile danced onto his lips.

"Lord Apollo, I'm really sorry," Channing begged.

Apollo smiled. "I was just playin', kiddo. You're one powerful demigod if you could put me out!" he said, patting Channing on the back.

Channing looked like he was about to pass out. He was paler than usual and his blue eyes were wide.

Apollo glanced around at us. "So what are you kids up to?" he asked. His eyes fell on Abby and he smiled at her.

Abby blushed and he winked. Oh my gods. Apollo was hitting on my sister. Hayden pouted but Tanner walked over to her and she looked happy again. Tanner slipped an arm around her and she leaned against him. But the moment was over when Tanner pulled back. Hayden sighed and looked away.

Apollo raised an eyebrow at us, but turned his back on us and struck up a conversation with Abby.

I walked over to where Channing was standing and gave him a slight shove. "What were you thinking?" I asked.

Channing shrugged and wiped blood from his face. "I was thinking I wanted to piss Hayden off," he said angrily.

Chase slipped behind me. "If you hate her so much, why do you fight for her attention?" he asked.

Channing turned red. "I don't want her attention. She was the one who punched me in the nose!" he cried. His nose started bleeding again and he cursed.

Aidan and Dakota were talking to Tanner and Hayden, but they were whispering. Apollo had Abby giggling like a school girl and I couldn't help but smile.

I turned back to Chase. Channing had ripped a peice of his already torn T-shirt and was wiping his bloodly face with it. He was doing a crappy job, so I took it from him. Chase handed me a water bottle and I sat down in the grass. Channing sat next to me and Chase sat across from us. I dabbed the cloth in the water and began washing Channing's bloody face. He closed his eyes and sighed. Chase raised an eyebrow and poked my side.

I shook my head and Channing bit his lip when I began washing a cut on his cheek. He opened his eyes and stared at me. I found it a little creepy, but I wasn't complaining.

I was pretty plain when it came to looks. I have never been as pretty as Abby or Dakota. Boys always stared at Dakota back when we were in school. They always flirted with her, but I always felt ignored. So when Channing sat there and stared at me, I felt wanted.

Channing looked over at Chase and said, "Why are you still here?"

Chase smiled. "Because you just got punched by a girl and I haven't made fun of you yet."

Channing shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat," he said and Chase made a face at him.

Channing stood up just as I finished and stretched. "We should sneak away while they aren't looking," he whispered, gesturing to Apollo and Abby. Hayden stalked up to us, followed by Aidan, Dakota, and Tanner.

"They're busy," Hayden mumbled, jerking her thumb towards my sister and the god. I smiled when I saw Apollo tuck a curl of Abby's hair behind her ear.

I fiddled with the waist band of my shorts and approached the two. Abby smiled brightly and Apollo nodded.

"Abby, we, uh, have to go now," I said awkwardly.

Abby's face fell but Apollo smiled. "They'll be cool!" he said and patted Abby on the shoulder. "Trust me."

Abby smiled a tiny bit and hugged me tightly. "I love you so much," she whispered.

I felt tears sting my eyes. I had never been close to Abby, but I felt so close to her now, that it was a shame I was most likely going to die soon. I hugged her back and she pulled away.

"Just go," she whispered.

I nodded and walked back to the group. Together we walked into the streets of Los Angeles and to our ultimate doom.

Little did I know that we were being watched.

We had been walking for an hour and stopped to rest. We had no idea where we were going and being the ever stupid kid I was, I had forgotten to ask Apollo where the Underworld was.

We were seven kids wandering around a huge, scary city by ourselves. I sat us down near a hospital and Tanner sighed. He suddenly winced and clutched his arm.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye, and he yelped a little. "That one hurt," he mumbled to himself.

This went on for about five minutes. While the others ate some food Abby had given us, I sat next to Tanner.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Tanner had been staring at a tree and he winced again.

Tanner turned to glare at me. "Nothing is wrong," he said crossly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Tanner, I'm not stupid," I said and folded my arms across my chest.

Tanner rolled his black eyes. "Whatever. Just keep telling yourself that," he mumbled.

I glared at him. "What is the matter with you?" I asked.

Tanner shrugged. "You're just bothering me. Plus, this quest is a waste. We're all gonna die anyway," he said blandly.

I wacked his arm. "Why are you being so negative?" I shouted. The others looked up and stared at us.

Tanner stood up. "You know what, Stryker? I'm negative because I'm death! My touch kills people and my very presence seems to drain the life out of things. You all are lucky it's hard to kill a demigod. Otherwise, you'd all be dead because of me!" he yelled.

I pushed him back. "Tanner, don't be dramatic," I said and rolled my eyes.

"I'm not being dramatic. You're being a brat!" he cried and threw his hands up. "Sometimes," he said visiously, "I just wanna hug you 'till you die."

I knew he literally could hug me until I died, but I still thought he was being a drama queen.

Channing whispered something to Chase and Tanner whipped around. "You guys talking about me, huh? The kid of the god of death is being weird again, is it?"

Channing shook his head. "No, Tanner―"

Tanner stalked up to Aidan. "I suppose you think I'm crazy too!" he accused.

Aidan held up his hands. "No!" he cried innocently.

Tanner poked Aidan's chest. "Gods! You are all so self absorbed!" he shouted. Suddenly he clutched his side. "Ow! That was a cancer patient," he muttered and glared at the hospital.

I grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "Tanner! What the Hades is the matter?" I yelled in his face.

Tanner slowly blinked and looked at me defiantly. "Everytime a person dies, I feel it. Do you have any idea how many people die every day?" he said harshly.

Hayden wrapped her hand in his. "Tanner, I'm so sorry," she whispered. Tanner pulled her into a short hug. He pushed her away after about two seconds, and Hayden looked at him sadly.

"Don't be," he mumbled. He looped his pinkie in hers and kissed her forehead softly. Hayden shivered under his touch and took a ragged breath. The color was sucked out of her cheeks and Tanner stepped back. Hayden took a step closer but Tanner pushed her back. "I'll kill you if I don't get back," he whispered.

Hayden wiped something from the corner of her eye, a tear? Hayden wasn't one to show anything other than anger. Seeing her sad and crying made me think about who she really was.

Hayden was so pretty, much prettier than I was. I didn't see why Channing rejected her nor did I understand why he would call her ugly. Hayden was bitter now, drawing from her beauty and making her angry and twisted.

I glanced up at Dakota and we locked eyes. Dakota frowned and rubbed her cheek. She had a funny habit of rubbing her cheek when she was upset or nervous.

Tanner winced again and said, "Can we move somewhere else?"

Channing nodded and we followed him to a warehouse. He tried to pick the lock, but he couldn't find anything to do it with. Dakota snapped her fingers and handed him a bobby pen. Normally Dakota would have objected to breaking and entering, but with tensions already high, she probably didn't want to start anything. Channing still couldn't get it and he sighed.

"I should have been born a Hermes camper," he mumbled.

A new voice came from behind us. "I'm flattered."

We turned around and saw a well groomed business man standing behind us. He wore a crisp suit and carried a black briefcase. He had curly brown hair and shining blue eyes.

Channing smiled widely at the man and I could have sworn he was about to bow. "Lord Hermes!" he cried.

The man nodded seriously, but kept a mischievous smile. "Again, I'm flattered," he said and smiled brightly. I opened my mouth to speak but he held up a hand. "You seven have an interesting quest," he said seriously.

Chase nodded. "Yes, sir. But ya know what would make it more interesting?" Channing said nervously.

Hermes shrugged. "If all of you were to wear T-shirts that said 'Hermes rules'?"

Channing cracked a smile and said, "Yes, but I was thinking more along the lines of you telling us where the Underworld is. That might help. A lot."

Hermes shrugged again. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," he said slowly.

Chase sighed. "Look, Lord Hermes, no disrespect or anything, but we seriously need to get to the Underworld to stop a sadistic god of death. So telling us and letting him do the killing would be lovely," he said quietly, keeping his head bowed.

Hermes smiled and said, "It's close. Closer than you think." He handed Chase a slip of paper and vanished.

Chase unfolded it carefully. "DOA Reform School," he read slowly, squinting his eyes.

Hayden snatched the paper from him, effectively ripping it in half.

"Now look what you've done!" Aidan cried. Hayden rolled her eyes and held the two sides together.

"DOA…" her voice trailed off. "Well the Hades if I know. Hermes has doctor hand writing," she said and sighed.

We all took turns attempting to read it, each of us coming up with a new phrase.

We walked across the street and sat under a billboard. Tanner looked up, attempting to read it. It was a black background with white letters, making it much easier to read, but I didn't bother to attempt it.

Tanner scratched his dark head. "DOA Recording Studios," he said quietly.

"That's stupid," Dakota said. "Why would the Underworld be in a recording studio?"

Tanner pointed up to the billboard. "No, look! DOA Recording Studios!"

We looked up at the billboard. "That's it!" Dakota cried. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and scribbled the address printed on the billboard.

We ran through the street as fast as we could, getting a few dirty looks from pedestrians. We sprinted past an abandoned looking building. I couldn't quite read it, but I made out the word Crusty's. I got a chill and kept running.

Soon we came to a black building. Glowing red letters above it said "DOA Recording Studios." Or at least I assumed it said that, I couldn't decifer it.

"Well," Tanner said. "Who's ready to meet daddy?"

We pushed open the door to hell and walked straight to our doom.

**A/N: Again, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to update this. I was running on low creativity and inspiration.**

**My thoughts on Stryker and Channing: I love them, yet I have to make it difficult. Things are gonna be screwed up for them soon.**

**This is in fact going to be a bit of a tragedy. Ponder that.**

**I really don't have anything else to say besides it might be a while before I update agin. At least a week, but no longer than a week and a half. **

**As always, review. Reviews really do help, so the more reviews I get, the faster I can write. **

**If you haven't already, check out my other stories, especially "From the Foam of the Sea." **

**Anway, hope you enjoyed(:**

**ψcamille elisabethψ**


	10. Chapter Ten: The Underworld

**A/N:** Oh my gods...Camille Elisabeth updated The Courage to Live! Oh, joyous day!

_I do not own PJO._

* * *

We walked into DOA Records and I got shivers. Aidan gulped and turned around, grabbing the door handle. Tanner pulled him back and he stood looking terrified. I looked around, seeing the spirits. They flitted around, talking like chattering bats. They grouped around us, tugging on our cloths, whispering to us.

A man sat at a desk, flipping through a magazine. He glanced up, then back down at his reading material.

Tanner whispered, "Let me do the talking."

He marched up to the desk and slid a drachma across the surface. "Hey," he said casually.

The man looked up again. "Oy! Who are you?" His accent was thick, like a British cockney accent, but older.

Tanner narrowed his eyes and looked around slyly. "A guy," he said slowly.

"Alright, mate, I don't have time for this. What's your name?" the man said impatiently.

Tanner slipped another drachma across the desk. "The name's Moarte. Tanner Moarte. And who pray tell art thou?" Tanner said, putting on a dramatic fake accent.

The man rolled his eyes. "Can't you tell who I am? I'm bloody Charon!"

Tanner raised his eyebrows. "Hmm, I've heard stories about you. Aren't you Pluto's moon?" he asked, pursing his lips.

Charon rolled his eyes again. "I'm not a moon, kiddy. I'm a boatman. Besides, Pluto isn't a planet anymore," he said impatiently. "Oy, wait a minute. Who are you children?"

Tanner shrugged. "We died yesterday in a car accident," he lied smoothly.

"Ahh, makes sense then I suppose. Welp, you're just going to have to wait a couple of hundred years." Charon flipped a page in his magazine. I squinted my eyes to read the title, but I couldn't figure it out. "Hey, wait another minute. What are you looking at?" he asked me.

I snapped my eyes away, and stammered, "Uh, the er, magazine."

"Having trouble, then?" Charon raised an eyebrow.

"Er, no sir. Just my eyes playing tricks on me," I lied.

Tanner slid another drachma across the desk and Charon studied it. "Real drachmas? You kids are dead, right?" he said skeptically.

Tanner nodded, but Charon scaned our faces. He pointed to Aidan. "Are you kiddies dead?" he asked.

Aidan's voice shook and was ten times higher than usual. "Yes, sir, Mr. Charon, sir. Dying was...not fun?" he said slowly.

Charon sneered. "Are you demigods?"

Channing smiled. "Yep!" he proclaimed. Tanner slapped his forehead.

"I told you to let me do the talking!" he cried.

Channing shrugged. "Lying bothers me."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, we just need to get into the Underworld to stop the sadistic god of death. There's a prophecy and everything, okay. So, please, sir, just let us in," I begged.

Charon smiled. "Sorry, love, but the Underworld is on lockdown. Specific orders from Lord Hades to let no demigods in. So, I'll see you ducklings when a monster gets you," he said cheerfully.

Hayden slammed her hands down on the desk. "Listen, buddy," she growled. "You're either going to let us in or I'm gonna shove that magazine right down your immortal throat!"

Tanner wacked her arm. "Shut up!" he cried.

Dakota smiled and pushed Hayden behind her. "What my lovely friend meant to say was that we really need to get in," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes. She reached into her jeans and pulled out a drachma. "I believe this should cover the charge." She winked and tossed it to Charon.

Charon caught it and slipped it in his pocket. "Nope, but thanks for the drachmas. Now run along before I decide to let you in the easy way," he threatened.

"Please?" Chase offered, in one last vain attempt to get in.

Charon sighed and slapped his magazine down. "I said no. Now scurry along," he said calmly and resumed reading. "Buh-bye now!"

Hayden started to argue, but I clamped a hand over her mouth. "Thanks, er, Mr. Charon, sir," I said, backing away. As soon as we were out the door, I heard a click. Channing tried to pry it open, but it was sealed shut.

Tanner groaned. "Why'd you tell him we're demigods?" he yelled at Channing.

Channing rolled his eyes. "He would have found out eventually, then been mad," he explained.

Hayden just sat and pouted. "We failed. Can we go home now?" she whined.

"Nope," Chase announced. "Wanna know why? 'Cause I'm Chase Sieg and I'm a son of Nike. I refuse to give up, it's just not right. We're gonna find a way to get in there if it's the last thing I do!"

"You should be a motivational speaker," Dakota said cheerfully.

Chase shrugged and mumbled, "My dad is a motivational speaker."

Dakota sat down on the sidewalk. "Well if you guys don't mind, I'm just gonna work on my tan," she said, leaning back and closing her eyes.

"You've never been able to tan, Dakota," I reminded her.

She opened one eye and said, "Well you've never been able to juggle but I don't hold that against you." I shrugged and plopped down next to her. "Your hair is sticking up," she said and smoothed the top of my head.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. "You're hair isn't. It's just kinda...flowing?"

Aidan sat behind Dakota and ran his fingers through her silvery hair. "Yep, it's definately flowing. Do you use a deep conditioner?" he asked seriously.

Dakota smiled and said, "Nope!" She turned around to face him and he smiled brightly. They just kind of stared at each other, laughing. I felt like I was intruding, so I got up and strolled over to Chase.

"Hey, Victory Boy. Long time no see," I said.

Chase looked up at me from the curb. "Well Rainbow Princess, you should come to this side of town more often," he said and smirked.

"Rainbow Princess? I'd rather you keep the nicknames a little more normal," I requested.

"Hey, Stryker!" Dakota called.

"Hmm?"

"Do you still have that mythology book? I'm bored," she said, sighing and cupping her chin in her hand.

"Yeah," I said and fished in my purse for it. It appeared in my hand and I pulled it out and tossed it to her.

Dakota caught it and flipped to a random page. We sat in silence for a while, and I watched Tanner and Channing play an intense game of ninja.

Just when Tanner wacked Channing's hand, Dakota stood up. "I've got it!" she cried.

We all turned and faced her. She held up the mythology book and said, "Ever heard of Orpheus?"

Aidan snapped his fingers and exlaimed, "He's my brother!"

"I don't see how this is gonna help us," Hayden muttered.

"Shut up," Channing hissed.

Dakota cracked a smile and kept talking. "Do you guys know how he got into the Underworld?"

Tanner shrugged. "Lied about being a demigod," he said and glared at Channing.

Dakota shook her head. "No! He played music! He charmed his way in!"

"So if we have music―" I began.

"We can get in!" Dakota finished.

Aidan blushed and mumbled, "I didn't bring any musical instruments."

"We could steal some," Chase suggested.

Dakota pouted a little, but Channing and Tanner were already nodding vigorously.

We snuck around, looking for a music store, and soon we came to one. A young woman behind the counter strumming a guitar and humming along to the tune.

I looked around, but the only things out were bagpipes. Channing and Chase were poking them, and Tanner was eyeing a certain one. Aidan raised an eyebrow and tapped the woman at the desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but how much for one of those?" Aidan asked, pointing at the bagpipes.

The woman smiled. "No charge, little buddy!"

Aidan's mouth dropped open and he stammered, "Are you sure?"

The woman nodded. "We've met before kiddo. Your mom says hi!" she said cheerfully. She snapped her fingers and disapeared, leaving us in an empty store. Aidan picked up a bagpipe and blew carefully. It sounded harsh and loud, but Aidan smiled.

"This is perfect. My aunts really are the best," he said.

"That was a Muse?" I gasped.

Aidan nodded. "Euterpe if I'm correct," he said.

Channing snatched the bagpipes away from Aidan and studied them. "You're not Scottish," he said suspiciously.

Aidan rolled his eyes. "Well of course not! But I'm still musically talented!" he scoffed.

Channing shrugged and handed the instrument back. "Let's just get into the Underworld," he mumbled.

* * *

We tried the doors again, but they were still locked. "Play!" Dakota commanded.

Aidan brought the instrument to his lips and began playing as loud as humanly possible. The doors cracked and began to glow gold. Light streamed out from the cracks and soon enough the doors were opening slowly.

Charon sat at his desk staring at Aidan. "Orpheus?" he said quietly.

"Don't stop playing," Dakota whispered. Aidan kept it up, and Charon smiled dreamily.

We climbed onto the boat carefully, Aidan keeping his music at a steady beat. The boatman ferried us quietly over the toxic river, the water steaming.

"What happens if I drink this?" Channing whispered.

"Try it," Tanner urged.

"Shut up!" Dakota hissed.

Channing sat next to me and grabbed my hand. "Sorry," he mumbled and pulled away.

I bit my lip. "Nah, it's okay. I'm nervous about this," I amitted. Charon was staring straight ahead, humming in time with the music.

"Maybe we'll see my mom," Channing whispered.

Charon landed the boat on black sandy shores and Aidan backed out carefully, still playing loudly.

We crept away and turned around. "That was freaking weird," Hayden mumbled.

Tanner nodded in agreement. Aidan had stopped playing after Charon paddled away and he was taking deep breaths.

"Bagpipes," he gasped, "are very hard to play."

"Oh quit your whining," Chase said, clapping his hands together. "Who's ready to kick some death god butt?"

Tanner shrugged. "I'd recommend we visit a certain woman first," he suggested.

"An ex-girlfriend?" Channing said, nudging him.

"Your mom," Tanner retorted.

"Hey, man. Not cool," Channing scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Dude, I'm serious. We need to see your mom," Tanner said seriously.

* * *

Channing rolled his eyes and turned to face the deep blue doors. "This isn't gonna work," he mumbled.

We were standing in Underworld, in front of the House of Nyx. It was just me and Channing; the rest of our group was attempting to locate the House of Thanatos.

"Just knock!" I urged.

Channing took a deep breath and shook his head. "She was never there for me, so why should I knock?" he mumbled. Instead, he threw his body into the door and it burst open.

"Channing!" I hissed, but he marched in.

"Mom!" he screamed. "Mother!"

A muffled voice came from down the pitch dark hall. I gulped, half expecting some horrible monster to attack us, but Channing was gripping his sword loosely.

I took my bracelet off and it glowed brightly in the dark. I stepped closer to Channing as the darkness got colder.

"Channing, I don't like this," I whispered.

He held my hand and suddenly pulled me into a hug. We stood there for a long moment when I heard soft laughter.

"My son is a pimp," a quiet voice said.

Channing pulled away quickly and I saw the hall had been lit by red torches. A girl stood in front of us. She couldn't have been more than sixteen years old. She had choppy layers and silky black hair. Her skin was pale and her dark blue eyes were heavily rimmed with black eyeliner.

"Mom?" Channing said, his mouth hanging open.

The girl shrugged. "What's it to ya?" she said harshly. Then, she smiled. "Yeah, I'm your mommy. I hear you need some help?"

Channing nodded. "Just, please. Don't be weird like every other immortal we've met on this insane quest," he begged.

Nyx rolled her eyes. "All immortals are weird," she said sarcastically.

Suddenly, I heard screams. Screams of agony.

"That would be your friends," Nyx said carefully.

I ran out of the doors and saw the storm. A raging fire coursed through the Underworld and I saw Aidan and Chase dragging two lumps toward us.

Dakota and Hayden were hurt. Bad.

**

* * *

**

A/N:

I really am cruel. I make you guys wait all this time for an update, and nothing happens. Oh well, now that I'm back in the swing of things, I think this story is really starting to take off again.

Review, review, review. Thanks(:

_**ψcamille elisabethψ**_


	11. Author's Note

Hello, faithful readers. I'm sorry to inform you that this story is now on a long term hiatus. I've completely lost inspiration. I plan on editing it thoroughly and finishing it before I update again. I'll leave these ten chapters up, for the time being, and when I finish writing, I'll update. It's going to be quite a while though, like Christmas break before I have any possibility of finishing. I've set myself up some deadlines, and they go as follows:

1. Finish The Vestals by Halloween.

2. Finish Hydrophobia by Thanksgiving.

3. Finish The Courage to Live by Christmas.

4. Begin writing a new story by the time 2011 rolls around.

I'm really sorry about this. I seriously am. But I just finished reading The Lost Hero last night, and realized that the Great Prophecy isn't gonna work for me anymore. I promise to finish this by Christmas and then no more Great Prophecy stories for me.

On a side note, did anyone else read The Lost Hero? If so, how did you like it? Personally, I thought it was great, except for the fact that Piper is a total Mary Sue. Feel free to stone me now, but it's just my opinion. Also, he totally made Khione the bad guy! Double yew tee eff? Khione is like my idol. Not really, but we got five days from school because of snow last winter, and I prayed to her and everything. She was listening apparently, and therefore, I like her. Soooo, in my mind, she's amazing. Anyway, this is off topic.

If you guys could review and tell me that you'll be waiting, I would greatly appreciate it. It will give me some physical proof that this story does have a fan base, no matter how small. I know From the Foam of the Sea got most of the attention, but I hope people love this story as much as I do. I promise, by Christmas morning I will have written the final chapter of this story.

Thanks so much, and do me the favor of subscribing and favoriting, but most of all, just review and tell me that you actually care that I finish this. Thanks.

* * *

ψcamille elisabethψ


End file.
